Rules question regarding safety at end of game

[superbowlfanatic]

When I met Mike Pereira a few years ago I actually posed this scenario to him, as the only way to have two untimed plays occurring after the end of a quarter. He told me that he had never heard of it before, but that it was correct - (as stated earlier in this thread) that the safety occurring on the final play of a quarter resulting from a penalty (i.e. holding or intentional grounding in end zone as in Super Bowls 43 and 46) gives the scoring team the option to receive a safety free kick made from the 20 yard line. If the receiving team fair catches the free kick or interference with making a fair catch penalty happens on the untimed safety free kick, then the receiving team could either run another untimed play from scrimmage or try a fair catch free kick. So 5 or 9 or 10 points could be scored by a team after the clock hit 0:00. (Many years ago the Cowboys failed to exercise this option in a home loss to the Eagles after a receiving a punt on the final play in regulation.)

When I talked to him again in San Francisco earlier this month, I asked him about when at the end of the AFC Championship game, when the Patriots 2 point conversion pass was intercepted and was returned out of the end zone by the Broncos. I asked him if the Broncos player had gone back into his own end zone and was tackled for a safety on the conversion attempt, how many points would that have been? He told me 1 point, so the game would have ended with a 1 point margin instead of 2.

I also brought up how Doug Flutie will probably be the last person to ever score kicking point(s) in the NFL while using a non-K football, and he agreed with me on that.

[rhickok1109]

I don't understand why you think they might have to kick.

Because shouldn't the team who scored the safety also reap the benefit of the free kick? Its different than giving up a TD on the last play and expecting another shot at getting the ball. I had this happen in a football video game I was playing the other day...and the game ended with both teams lining up for a free kick, then walking off the field. Nice touch.

I have to remember to think before posting If I'd thought about it for a few seconds, I would probably have seen your point.