Roughing the Kicker and Running Into the Kicker
Two penalties protect punters and placekickers. Learn how roughing differs from running into the kicker, why the penalties differ, and when contact is not a foul at all.
Fourth down, a punt, and a defender leaps at the last instant. The ball sails off the punter's foot, and a half-second later the defender crashes into the punter's planted leg. A flag hits the turf. The punting team's sideline celebrates, the punter gets up slowly, and the fans of the defender's team insist he got a piece of the ball.
Two different penalties can come out of that play, and which one it is changes what the offense gets. One is called roughing the kicker, and the other is running into the kicker. The first is severe and comes with an automatic first down. The second is a minor foul with a small penalty. Telling them apart, and knowing when neither applies, is the key to understanding why these flags look inconsistent from the couch.
Why kickers are protected
A punter or placekicker is in a peculiar position. He is balanced on one leg, his body is extended, and his attention is on the ball. He is not a blocker or tackler, and he usually is not built for contact. If a defender sprints into him just after the kick, the kicker has no way to brace.
Football's rules protect him in two ways. First, there is a general rule against hitting a kicker after he has kicked, in the same spirit as the rule that protects a quarterback after a pass. Second, the rules give the kicker some protection from a defender who is rushing the kick and runs into him, even if the defender has not committed a violent act. These two ideas produce the two fouls.
A third idea sits behind both: the defense has a right to try to block the kick. A defender who gets a hand on the ball has made a legitimate play, and the rules do not penalize him for contact that results from a legitimate block attempt.
Roughing the kicker
Roughing the kicker is the more serious of the two. It is a personal foul for hitting a kicker in a way that is more than incidental contact. The usual examples include:
- A hit that comes after the kick when the defender had time to avoid contact and the kicker had not yet had time to recover his balance. The rule calls for a defender to avoid late, forcible contact on a player in a vulnerable position.
- Hitting or clipping the kicker's plant leg or driving into his body with real force after the ball is gone.
- Hitting the kicker in the head or neck or otherwise using the helmet or forearm in a way that falls under the general rules on unnecessary roughness.
- Landing on the kicker with the defender's full weight after the kick, when the defender had no legitimate reason to be there.
The key idea is that the kicker is entitled to a short window after the kick in which he is treated as a defenseless player, similar in spirit to how a passer is treated. The window ends when he has had a reasonable chance to regain his balance and protect himself. Officials judge that window by watching the kicker's feet and posture.
If you want to see how that fits with other protected situations, read our guide to defenseless player protections.
Roughing applies to the holder too
On field goals and extra points, the rule books cover the holder alongside the kicker. The principle is the same: a player who is concentrating on handling the ball and is not looking for a hit should not be hit late or violently. How far the holder's protection reaches before the kick is a detail that varies, so check the rule book for your level.
The penalty for roughing
At the NFL, college and high school levels, roughing the kicker is a 15-yard penalty with an automatic first down for the kicking team. If the kick was a punt, the kicking team keeps the ball and starts a new set of downs, which is why the call is often described as costing the defense the whole punt. The penalty is also enforced when the kick is a field goal attempt, and the kicking team gets a first down even if the kick was missed.
The referee will announce the foul, and the kicking team has the option to accept the penalty or take the result of the play. Because the penalty brings both yardage and a new set of downs, the kicking team almost always accepts it. The exception is a play where the result was even better for the kicking team, such as a field goal that was good.
Running into the kicker
Running into the kicker is a lesser foul. It happens when a defender makes contact with the kicker without roughing him. A defender may jump at a kick, miss the ball and bump into the kicker's body or leg, and the contact may be inevitable even if the defender was trying only to block the kick. Officials treat that as running into the kicker rather than roughing.
The difference comes from the nature and force of the contact:
- Running into is usually a modest bump or brush, such as a defender grazing the kicker's plant leg or arm while diving for the ball, or a defender whose momentum carries him into the kicker after he missed the ball.
- Roughing is a significant hit: a violent collision, a late hit after the kicker has had time to recover, or a hit to the head or neck.
Officials make that call in a split second, which is why you will see two plays that look similar produce different flags. A defender who clips the kicker's foot and sends the kicker spinning is more likely to draw a roughing flag than one who barely brushes the kicker after missing the ball.
The penalty for running into the kicker
Running into the kicker is a 5-yard penalty at the NFL level, and it does not carry an automatic first down. The down is replayed from the new spot, so a team punting on fourth down gets to try again from five yards closer to the defense's goal line. Fourth-and-7 becomes fourth-and-2, which can even tempt a coach to go for it instead of kicking. College and high school rule books treat the foul in a similar way, with a short penalty. Check the current rule book for your level to confirm the exact distance.
This is why the distinction matters in a close game. With roughing, the offense can keep its drive alive and take 15 yards. With running into, the offense usually gets a second chance to kick but not a first down.
When contact is not a foul
Not every hit on a kicker is a penalty. The rules protect the defense's right to try to block the kick, and several situations are explicitly legal:
- The defender touches the kick. If a defender gets a hand, arm or body on the ball, he has made a legitimate play. Contact with the kicker after that is not penalized, because the defender was blocking the kick.
- The defender is blocked into the kicker. If an offensive blocker pushes or shoves a defender into the kicker, the defender is not responsible for the contact. This is common on punts where the protection collapses.
- The kicker is in contact because of his own movement. A kicker who runs into a defender, or one who steps into the path of a defender who had no way to avoid him, is not protected from his own actions.
- The play turns into a fake. If the punter or holder fakes a kick and runs or passes, he is no longer a kicker with kicker protections. He is treated like any other ball carrier or passer.
- A change of possession. If a kick is blocked and the ball changes hands, the former kicker generally becomes a defender and can be blocked like any other player, though the rule books still protect any player who is defenseless.
These exceptions explain many of the plays that cause arguments. A defender who dives through the line of scrimmage and gets a fingertip on the ball has done nothing wrong, even if he then crashes into the punter.
Limits on leverage and leaping
Special teams rules also restrict the ways defenders try to block kicks. The rule books limit how a defender may use a teammate for leverage or jump over blockers to reach a kick. The details differ across levels and have been revised over the years, so check the current rule book for your league. These rules are separate from roughing and running into the kicker, but they shape how defenders approach a kick.
A worked example
Imagine a team facing fourth-and-7 at its own 30-yard line. The punter takes the snap and gets the punt off. A defender sprinting in from the edge does not touch the ball but lands on the punter's plant leg a fraction of a second after the kick, knocking the punter to the ground.
The referee has a few choices. If the officials believe the contact was a significant hit or came after the kicker had a reasonable chance to recover, they call roughing the kicker: the punting team can accept the 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down, so instead of punting away, they have first-and-10 at their own 45.
If the officials believe the contact was minor and incidental, with the defender missing the ball and brushing the leg, they call running into the kicker: the punting team can accept a 5-yard penalty, replay fourth down from the 35 and punt again, or take the original result.
Now change one detail. The defender gets a hand on the ball, redirecting the punt, then slides into the punter. No foul, because the defender touched the kick. The ball is live wherever it lands, and the receiving team will decide whether to scoop it up.
Why the calls feel inconsistent
If you watch several games, you will see roughing and running-into flags that look similar. There are good reasons.
- Timing. Was the contact before, during or after the kick? A defender who is moving as the ball leaves the foot may arrive at the same instant as the kick, and officials have to decide whether that contact was part of the block attempt.
- Force. The line between bump and hit is a judgment of speed, angle and result, and not every referee draws it at the same place.
- The kicker's reaction. Some kickers flop dramatically, others stay on their feet. Officials are trained to call what they see, not how the kicker reacts, but a visible fall can influence how a contact looks on the field.
- The sight line. An official behind the play sees the kicker's body, not the ball, and has to guess whether the defender touched the kick. Replay review generally does not cover personal fouls like these, so the on-field call stands.
None of that makes the rule arbitrary. It just means that punt and field goal plays often contain contact that falls into a gray area. Each of these fouls is a judgment call, and the rules deliberately leave room for it.
Three common misunderstandings
"The kicker faked it, so it should not count." Officials judge what the contact looked like, not what the kicker did afterward. A kicker who exaggerates a fall is not penalized, and a defender who made a real roughing hit is not excused because the kicker was dramatic. The reverse is also true: a kicker who stays on his feet after a late hit can still draw a flag.
"The kick was blocked, so nothing can be called." Blocking the kick protects the defender only for contact that comes from the block itself. A defender who touches the ball and then drives through the kicker with a separate, avoidable hit can still be flagged for a personal foul.
"Punters are not really in the game, so the rule must be soft." The opposite is true. A kicker is balanced on one leg and watching the ball, and a single flag can change a drive, so the rule is written to be strict about late and violent contact. You can follow how those drives unfold on the scores page.
Notes for players and coaches
If you play on special teams, there are habits that reduce the risk of a flag.
- Aim for the ball, not the kicker. A defender whose eyes and hands are on the ball is making a legitimate attempt.
- Do not dive at the plant leg. Even if the contact would have been legal, the risk of a roughing call is high.
- After a miss, pull up. If you know you did not touch the ball, avoid finishing the rush through the kicker.
- Use proper technique. Leaping at the last moment looks aggressive, and rule books have restrictions about how a defender may jump.
For the kicking team, the best advice is to keep the kicker clean. Good protection and a quick get-off reduce the number of times a rushing defender gets close enough to create contact.
See how kicks are made and returned in our guides to punt rules and field goal rules, and follow your team's special teams on the teams pages. For recreational play, check your league's rule sheet in the Play section, because some leagues play without punting.
The short version
- Roughing the kicker is a 15-yard personal foul with an automatic first down for the kicking team.
- Running into the kicker is a smaller foul: 5 yards in the NFL, with the down replayed and no automatic first down.
- The difference is the force and timing of the contact: severe or late contact is roughing, and a light bump is running into.
- No foul is called if the defender touches the kick, is blocked into the kicker, or the kick turns out to be a fake.
- The kicker is protected for a short window after the kick, until he has had time to recover his balance.
- Rules on boosting and leaping vary by level and year, so check the current rule book for your league.