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This is a good question. Unfortunately, there is no good answer other than that's the way the rule was written. Presumably, if a defense is good enough to cause a fumble in the endzone, they are rewarded. However, it doesn't make much sense, as anywhere else on the field, a fumble out of bounds is retained by the team with the ball in the first place. I personally think it's a dumb rule, but that's the way the rule was drafted.

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15y ago
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14y ago

that would be called a touchdown

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Q: Why is a fumble through the endzone a touchback?
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If the returner of a kickoff touches the ball on the 1 yard line then bobbles the ball and it goes into and out of the endzone who's ball is it and where is it placed?

It is a fumble when the ball is bobbled and a touchback when it goes out of the endzone. It is placed on the twenty yard line.


Did the safety and the touchback positions in football have opposite definitions at one time?

Safety and Touchback are not "positions", they are the results of a play, and they do have opposite definitions at this time. A Safety is scored when the offense is tackled in the endzone and awards the defense two points, and the ball. A touchback is declared when the defense takes possesion of the ball (by interception, fumble recovery, punt, or kickoff) in their own endzone and elects not to try to return the ball upfield. A touchback awards the ball to the receiving team at their own 20 yard line. Own in football describes the side of the field the team is defending. You score points in the opponents endzone.


Why is a fumble that gos backward out of the inzone for the offense a safety and not a touchbach?

If you put the ball into your own endzone by backward pass or by carrying it there if the ball becomes dead in the endzone it is either a safety if you have possession at the end of the play or a touchdown if the oponent has possession at the end of the play. A ball that goes out of bounds is in possession of the last team to have possession in bounds so a ball going out of bounds in that case is a safety. Likewise a ball fumbled that goes out of bounds behind the goal line is a touchback because the team put the ball in the oponents endzone. If you put the ball in the oponents endzone it is either a touchback if he has possession or a touchdown if you have possession in the end zone at the end of the play. A kick remains a kick until it is possessed or is dead. That is why a ball touched by the receivers that then goes in the endzone where it is downed by the receivers is a touchback. It was the kick that put the ball in the opponents endzone.


What happens when a muffed punt goes into the endzone?

The receiving team can run it out or down it in the end zone for a touchback; if nobody on the receiving team touches the ball, that's also a touchback and the receiving team gets the ball first and ten on their own 20 yard line.


If a defensive player intercepts a ball at his own one yard line then fumbles out the back of his endzone is this a safety or a touchback?

If a player fumbled the ball into and out of bounds in his own endzone after making a pass interception on his 1 yard line, it is an automatic safety.The impetus is on the player who fumbled.


What happens if a team fumbles the ball into the opposing team's endzone?

When the ball is fumbled, it can be recovered by any player on the field. if the defense recovers the fumble, the defensive player can attempt to run the ball in order to gain yards, because once it is clear that the defense have the ball, it is officially in their possession. If the offense regains control of the ball it is an automatic first down.


What is a touchback in football?

A touch back is when a Kick Return or a Punt Return has landed into the opposing EndZone and is placed on the 20 yard line, or if the opposing team catches the ball in the End Zone and Kneels. A nickle back is a third Corner Back in 3-4 Formations or Cover 2 Formations they are usually their to Cover the Slot Reciever.


If the football is intercepted in the end zone and the intercepting player goes down in the end zone is it a touchback?

Neither. Consider this situation: Team A is backed up to its own end zone. Team A's quarterback throws a pass that is intercepted by Team B just in front of the goal line. The Team B player tries to run around a couple Team A guys to get into the end zone. In the process he gets hit and fumbles the ball. The ball sails out of the end zone and out of play. Because the ball was fumbled and then went out of bounds, Team B retains possession and has a first down at the spot of the fumble. There was a game in 2001 when Patriots receiver David Patten was hit by a defender and knocked out cold, fumbling the ball in the process. The ball shot straight up in the air and came back down, bouncing off Patten's leg, and was recovered by the other team. but because part of Patten's unconscious body was lying out of bounds, by rule that meant his whole body was out of bounds, so when the ball hit his leg it was technically landing out of bounds, so the ball became dead at that instant. The fumble recovery didn't count; the Patriots retained possession. To come back to our theoretical case: if the Team B player fumbled, and the ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Team A, that's a touchback, because it was Team B that lost possession. Team A would get the ball at its own 20. If you have possession of the ball at your own 1 and fumble it out of the back of your own endzone it is ruled a safety. If you have possession of the ball at the other team's 1 and fumble it out of the endzone it is a touchback (a touchback is awarded to defense for the offense playing it at all out of the endzone) and goes to the other team. While it appears much thought went into the first answer, the second answer is correct. Agreed. The second answer is right. If a team has established possession in the field of play and causes the ball to go dead through its own end zone, it's the same as any other situation where the offense kills the ball in its own end zone. It's a safety.


What is a touchdown?

== == == == When the ball is advanced past the end zone line it is called a touchdown. It is worth 6 points. A touchdown can be scored on offense or defense by any player. A touchdown can also be scored if there is a fumble in the end zone, and the team that scored on that end zone recovers the fumble.


In the NFL do kickers on kickoffs try to kick the ball into the endzone for a touchback?

Yes, there is a distinct advantage to the kicking team if the kickoff is not returned and placed at the 20 yard line.


Offence has football but gets the ball knocked out its hands at goal line and ball rolls out of end zone who gets the ball?

If it's out of their own endzone it is a safety (2 points for the defense & a free kick to the defense from the offenses 20-yard line).If it's through the defenses endzone it is a touchback & the defense takes possession on their own 20-yard line.


In super bowl XXVLL Leon Lett had a fumble retun for how many yards?

XXVLL means 125, but in Super Bowl XXVII he recovered a fumble and would have returned for a 55 yard td but the bowl was knoked loose as he was showboating and resulted in a touchback