Fans were befuddled when Richie James returned a punt from Chiefs’ end zone

Pete Grathoff
·2 min read

Fans may have witness NFL history during the Chiefs game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

In the third quarter, the Chiefs’ Richie James drifted back to field a punt and didn’t stop until he was in the end zone. That would be the Chiefs’ end zone.

James caught the ball and then returned it 10 yards to the Chiefs’ 9-yard line.

Had James let the ball land in the end zone, it would have been a touchback. But fans wondered what would have happened if he had called for a fair catch or taken a knee after fielding the punt.

I checked the NFL rulebook and couldn’t find a specific ruling for that circumstance. That might be because no one returns a punt from their own end zone. Or no one had before Sunday.

Here is the return.

Fans and media members watching had never seen this happen before. Here is what they were saying, and it’s worth noting that James also had a big 27-yard punt return in the fourth quarter.