Confused By This Play In The Falcons/Saints Game

[ProfessorGAC]

Guy muffed a punt, OUTSIDE the endzone. Ball bounced into the EZ, Falcons player ends up with it. Touchdown.
I had always heard a muffed punt can't be advanced. I even looked it up to see if the rule was changed. But, the rule clearly states it can't be advanced.
I get that a guy didn't recover it, then advance, but I would have thought that the recovery would be at the spot of the muff.
How is this not the same as advancing a muff? (Sorry, you will have to click the YouTube link to see it.)

?si=bsZx1SkFzoqXJNWj

[TwilightZone]

1. Clarification below.

Edit: I should have further clarified, which I did below. The kicking team recovered it in the end zone, so there was nothing to advance.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. That's Not The Rule

According to the official NFL rule book, the muffed punt rule states that players cannot advance a muffed kick on kickoffs and punts alike because the receiving team has not attained possession.

[TwilightZone]

4. There was no possession until it was in the end zone.

The kicking team recovered the ball in the end zone. Possession doesn't start when it's muffed. It starts when it's recovered.

[NoRethugFriends]

3. It wasn't advanced, it was recovered.

[surfered]

5. This is making me dizzy...

[bottomofthehill]

6. Once recovered, the player can not advance.

If the ball is mishandled on the 20 bounces to the 10 and is recovered there and run into the end zone, it is returned to the 10. If recovered in the end zone it is a TD, in another wrinkle, if the receiving team player recovers it in the end zone, it is a safety.

[moniss]

7. I don't know but I was always under the impression that

a kicking team that "downs" a punt doesn't get the ball i.e. possession unless it touched an opposing player first. But if no opposing player touched this ball before the kicking team fell on it in the end zone it doesn't sound right to credit them a touchdown. A touchdown inherently means possession and possession by the kicking team on a punt doesn't take place unless the opposing player touches the ball first and then the kicking team recovers.

But they've screwed with the rules so much and the officiating is so horrible that I don't bother watching until maybe the last 2 minutes. Same with NBA. Baseball finally is no longer dealing with that horrible ump Angel Hernandez. There's still a few more to go.

[bottomofthehill]

8. Just happened in the Green Bay - Vikings game

Proper application. Ball was recovered at the 3 and run in. The ball was spotted at the 3

[moniss]

9. Did the other team ever touch the ball?

[bottomofthehill]

10. Yes

Ball was miffed by the receiving player on the 11, bounced to the 3 where it was recovered and run into the end zone. The ref set the ball in the 3

[moniss]

11. Then it's a normal

situation. I was under the impression that the OP had been talking about a situation where the opposing team did not touch the ball.

[bottomofthehill]

12. I think by saying muffed outside the endzone

He is saying it was touched by the receiving team outside the end zone but recovered in the end zone.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. A Muff Means Touched..

...but the catch not successfully completed. It has to be touched by the receiving team for it to be a muff.

[BOSSHOG]

14. And the Falcons

Scored 26 points without an offensive touchdown.