A "touchback" is when a change of possession occurs in the end zone of the defending team and the ball is downed without bringing it back into the field of play. This could occur any number of ways: A kickoff going into the end zone (and/or out-of-bounds), an interception, a forward-fumble into the end zone, etc.
In any of these cases, the ball is "downed" in the end zone, but it does not have to physically touch the ground. A person who has intercepted the ball or received a kick in the end zone can take a knee or run out of bounds with the ball.
Chat with our AI personalities