As part of the expansion of the NFL International Series, Frankfurt, Germany is hosting NFL games for the first time ever. Naturally, games played at Deutsche Bank Park look slightly different from typical NFL games.
The stadium, which is constructed to host soccer games, has a number of unique features. One of Deutsche Bank Park’s most notable features is a large scoreboard above midfield.
While the video board is sure to help fans keep up with the action, it can potentially prevent punters from doing their job. Ahead of the Week 9 showdown between the Dolphins and Chiefs, a number of pregame punts hit the jumbotron.
Multiple punts have hit the Frankfurt Stadium scoreboard/jumbotron in warmups.
If it happens in the game, it’s simply a do-over. pic.twitter.com/VaVRAuqdTG
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 5, 2023
MORE: What to know about Deutsche Bank Park, host of the NFL Germany games
With Deutsche Bank Park hosting games in Weeks 9 and 10, there is a high likelihood that an in-game punt will hit the video board. What will happen in the event that it does? Here is a breakdown of the NFL’s rule regarding the interference of a foreign object like a video board.
What happens if a punt hits the scoreboard?
There is a straightforward rule around the scoreboard: If it is hit, the down is replayed.
While midfield boards are not a common feature at NFL stadiums, AT&T Stadium features a large video board above midfield. During the 2022 season, the NFL enacted the rule when Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda hit the video board on what would have been his first NFL punt.
Camarda’s punt hitting the board meant that he would be granted a re-kick.
Per the NFL rulebook, scoreboards and guide wires are among “foreign objects” that constitute a review to determine whether or not they were touched by a loose ball.
Here is more on the NFL’s rule on foreign objects:
If it is determined that the ball hit an object, the down will be replayed from the previous spot, and the game clock will be reset to the time when the ball was snapped and will start on the snap.
Sure enough, the rule came into play just before halftime of the first game in Frankfurt. Dolphins punter Jake Bailey hit the low-hanging board with an attempt and had to re-kick.
It was the first instance of the scoreboard coming into play in Frankfurt, but it probably won’t be the last.
