Kick off

the receiving team gets the ball on the 20 yard line...

This is a good topic because the Bears and the Titans played today and during a kickoff the receiving team showed no sign of a fair catch in the endzone, attempted to catch the ball, fumbled the ball in the endzone, and then recovered and took a knee in the endzone. The officials gave the receiving team the ball on the 20-yard line. It's my opinion that once the ball was touched and fumbled and then recovered in the end by the receiving team and the opposing team touched or tackled the receiving team player while in the end zone that is a Touchback. I could be wrong though.

If the recovering player wasn't touched before he took a knee, then it is a touchback. Had that player attempted to run and been tackled in his endzone then it would have been a safety.

Maybe they should rename the end zone the "free zone".🙊

The rules for kick-offs are different from the rules of punting.
1) Kick-offs occur to start the game, to start the second half, and also occurs after a score.
2) A punt is what happens on 4th down.

When the ball is kicked off, the receiving team must field the ball unless the ball goes out of bound or out of the back of the end zone. If the receiving team does not field the ball, the kicking team can pick up the ball and take possession. Your example would be a turn over by the receiving team and an instant touch down by the kicking team.

When punting the ball, the rules are different. The receiving team does not have to field the ball. The receiving team can choose to allow the ball to go into the end zone and choose not to field it or catch it. On punts only, that would be a touch back. The receiving team would get the ball on their own 20 yard line. I believe that 20 yard line rule was changed a couple of years ago to the 30 yard line.

Kick-offs have to be fielded by receiving team while the ball is in the field of play or the kicking team can pick the ball up resulting in a turnover

Punts do not have to be fielded by the receiving team. The ball will be spotted where it stopped or where the kicking team touches the ball. This does not result in a turnover. The receiving team gets the ball.

The term "punt" and the term "kick-off" are totally different terms with totally different meanings in football.

My last post was in reference to NFL punting and kicking rules.

The saints just scored 14-3 lead against Washington the kickoff went into the endzone and stopped there, never going out of play! Why was it blown dead and ruled a touch back? It was not a punt and the recieving team just left it there.

I am not watching the game. So, I didn't see the actual play.
If what you say is accurate, my understanding of that rule may be wrong
or their could have been a recent rule change.

NFL kickoffs will be undergoing these major rule changes for 2018.

by John Breech
May 22, 2018


https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-kickoffs-will-be-undergoing-these-major-rule-changes-for-2018/

NFL Approves New Rule Changes For Kickoffs
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Published on May 23, 2018