What is the difference between a punt and a kickoff in the NFL?

The NFL has players playing in 24 different positions. A team's roster contains around 65-70 players, out of which 11 players play on the field at a time.

All the 24 positions can be divided into three teams: offensive, defensive and special teams. The offensive and defensive positions are the most popular ones, but if you are new to the sport, punters and kickers from the special teams may confuse you.

Let us know the difference between a punt and a kickoff in the NFL.

A kicker is a part of a special team who is responsible for a kickoff during the game. A kickoff happens at the start of the first and second half of the game or when a team scores a goal or during an overtime.

During the kickoff, the ball is placed on the ground behind the restraining lines. The kicker's role is to kick the ball as far as possible toward the opposite side. The ball must travel 10 or more yards to be counted or touched by the receiving team.

A kicker can also score field goals and help the team earn extra points.

A punter is also a part of the special teams whose job is to kick the ball, but with a different set of rules. Punter's job is not to score extra points, instead his goal is to punt the ball as far away as he can from the end zone.

A team calls out a punter when the offense fails to gain 10 yards in their first three downs. So, to avoid turning the ball over on their fourth and the last down, a punter kicks the ball far away from the goal line they are defending. Also, they have to make sure the ball does not go out of bounds.

What are the rules for a kickoff in the NFL?

The team that kicks the ball is a kicking team and the team that catches and return the ball is the receiving team. During a kickoff, the ball is placed on the ground behind the restraining line.

The restraining line for the kicking team is their 35-yard line. Meanwhile, the receiving team's restraining line is 10 yards further away on the 45-yard line.

All the players on the receiving side and the kicking side, apart from the kicker, should be placed 5 yards away from their restraining line. Also, a minimum of four players should be positioned on each side of the kicker.

A successful kickoff must go atleast 10 yards. If the kickoff ends up in the sidelines or out of bounds before reaching the end zone, then the opposing team may get to start the game from their 35-yard line or from the landing spot of the ball.

What are the rules for a punt in the NFL?

Unlike kickoff, punts are not made from behind the restraining lines, instead, they are played from the line of scrimmage.

To make a punt, the offensive side stands on the line of scrimmage and they snap the ball to the punter, who is positioned 15-yards back from the line of scrimmage.

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Once the ball is received by the punter, he takes two-three steps forward, drops the ball toward the ground and kicks it away before the ball touches the ground.

If the punt goes out of bounds, then the ball is placed at the spot where it went out.