No matter how much football you’ve watched in your life, there was a play in Thursday night’s game between the Rams and Seahawks that you’ve probably never seen before. It was one that left even the officials confused, unsure of how to rule it initially.
The play occurred in the third quarter when Seahawks punter Michael Dickson had his kick blocked by Jamir Jones. It nearly gave the Rams excellent field position and a chance to add to their 16-7 lead, but Dickson wisely chased the ball down, scooped it up and kicked it again all the way down to the Rams’ 11-yard line.
After reviewing the play and talking it over, the officials decided to let the play stand as a 68-yard punt with no penalty for punting the ball twice. Everyone was confused, with even Sean McVay admitting he didn’t know a punter could kick it twice.
Here’s what McVay said about the play after the game, calling it something he’s never seen before.
“I’ve never seen anything like a double-punt, either. That was crazy. And then we end up being on the minus-10. I mean, what the hell?” he joked.
It was a late night, being a prime-time game, so McVay’s brain wasn’t as sharp as it usually is. But he explained what the officials told him as to why the play stood without a flag being thrown.
“I don’t have the brain power to be able to explain it, but basically what happened was because he kicked it still behind the line of scrimmage, they reviewed it in New York, they said his foot was still on the line so he wasn’t totally over the line of scrimmage, so they said he can do that. I said, ‘You can kick the ball twice, huh?’ I guess you learn something every night,” he told reporters.
Incredibly, the officials actually got this ruling correct. The line of scrimmage was the Seahawks’ 21-yard line, and like with a throw, as long as any body part is behind the line when a ball is kicked, it’s not a penalty.
So if you look at the 21-yard line, Dickson’s plant foot is right on the line, technically making it a legal punt.
As McVay said, you learn something new every day.
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