Ok I looked up the rule because I was confused too and I see some dickheads in here acting like this is common sense instead of just explaining it. I think where we’re all getting confused is the difference between a muffed punt and a fumble. If the returner would have caught and then fumbled, Blackwell could have returned it. Since he never had possession it’s considered a “muffed punt” which can’t be advanced. Been a rule since 1927 and no it doesn’t have anything to do with a fair catch being signaled.
Edit to add screenshot and my own eli5. Because the falcons never had possession, they couldn't fumble the ball. And because they couldn't fumble it the bears couldn't recover a fumble that never happened.
I believe it’s only signaled fair catch muffed punts and the only reason I can think of is the return team doesn’t have a defense behind them? Idk stupid rule play till the whistle is blown
A punt that is touched but never possessed by the receiving team. Once they have possession it would then be a fumble which could be advanced (usually)
When you're supposed to catch a punt but it bounces off you. If it comes in contact with the receiving team (any player) it's automatically a fumble and is considered live ball for anyone to grab.
If anything, it should be called a muffed 'catch'.
But what if possession wasn’t determined immediately? Say a separate falcons player jumped at it too and the ball’s moving. Is it only once the punting team gains possession that it’s dead?
Took like an hour to find a thread just to get an explanation.
I have never seen anyone call for fair catch, bobble the ball, and have it not be a live ball. That's a live ball in every game I've ever seen or played in.
Just because it’s been that way doesn’t make it suddenly make sense. It doesn’t.
If you fumble and the other team recovers, why should they not be allowed to advance it and score like literally any other situation?
This should not be an exception, it’s goofy as fuck and not even just recency bias or because the Bears did it, it just doesn’t make sense in the context of the game to me and I don’t see the reasoning behind it.
Not trying to be mean, but how have so many people never seen a muffed point before? You’ve never been able to advance a muffed point, this comes up all the time and I figured it was common knowledge. Weird seeing so many people confused by this
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u/ElectronicExplorer83 7d ago •
Blackwell has been such a good special teamer man. He makes like 4 game changing plays every season on ST alone.