Seahawks punter Michael Dickson does double kick on bizarre play

Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson made a heads up play on Thursday night that paid off thanks to the referees.

Dickson was getting set to punt from deep inside his territory in the third quarter. His punt attempt was blocked, so he scooped up the loose ball and began to run with it. Just as he was nearing the line of scrimmage, Dickson punted again. The ball went all the way to the Los Angeles Rams 11.

So this happened.

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The officials threw a flag and reviewed the play for a possible penalty. They determined (incorrectly) that there was no infraction committed. They felt Dickson was behind the line of scrimmage before his second punt, even though he was not.

Double kicks are allowed so long as the ball never crosses the line of scrimmage. However, Dickson picked the ball up and carried it beyond the line of scrimmage. That move should have cost his team 10 yards from the spot of the kick. So the ball should have been spotted at the Seahawks’ 11 rather than the Rams’ 11.

Here are the rules on the matter:

From the NFL rule book:

“A second kick from behind the line of scrimmage is legal provided the ball has not crossed the line.”

The ball didn’t cross the line off the block, but it did in the hands of the punter. pic.twitter.com/jOTD6ZCrYc

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 8, 2021

It was a heads up play by Dickson, and a bad miss by the officials. The Rams should have had the ball in the red zone due to Dickson’s error.