[note to everyone else - we're talking about the double punt in the Thursday night NFL game]
That's what I thought at first, too. But that's not what that part of the rule is talking about.
Here's a link to the rule:
https://twitter.com/SeifertESPN/stat...929474/photo/1 (note that the author of the tweet was initially incorrect about the interpretation; he later tweeted again with a correction)
Before we talk about the punting rule, refresh yourself on the rule about passing beyond the line of scrimmage. Remember that it doesn't matter where the ball is, what matters is where the passer's body is. If any part of the passer's body is on or behind the LOS, it's a legal pass. Only if the passer's ENTIRE body is beyond the LOS is it illegal. Now look at Note #2 in the kicking rule. Look familiar?
All of that other stuff in the rule about the ball crossing the LOS is meant for the original kick. Say it's a low kick or punt and the ball crosses the LOS in the air before being knocked back. If it's kicked again: illegal. If the ball is kicked and blocked behind the LOS but the ball continues forward, crosses the LOS on the ground, hits a player and is batted back behind the LOS, then kicked: illegal(I'm pretty sure).
But if the ball is blocked behind the LOS, never crosses the LOS, then is picked up and kicked, it's legal.
But here's the thing: once the ball is picked up and in the kicker's possession, now the rules have changed slightly. Instead of the location of the ball being important, it's now the body of the kicker that's important. As long as some part of the kicker's body stays on or behind the LOS, it's legal to kick the ball. It doesn't matter if the ball has crossed the LOS as long as a foot, or arm, or shoulder, or butt is still on/over the LOS. You can even have both feet beyond the LOS as long as your butt, torso, head, arm, etc. is still above/behind the LOS. And the official(line judge?) reset himself right on the LOS when the punt was blocked so he had the perfect angle to see whether that was the case or not. During the announcement of the call, the official said the heel of the kicker's plant foot was on the LOS. That's why it was legal.
(I should add that the kicker can't completely pass the LOS with possession of the ball and then retreat back and kick it. As soon as 100% of the body+ball of the kicker passes the LOS, any kick from that point will be illegal.)
That being said...
Others are arguing that there should have been an illegal man downfield penalty applied instead. In the NFL, only the end men and any eligible receiver that is aligned or in motion behind the line and is one yard or more outside the end men can advance more than a yard beyond the line before the kick. Those other people are saying that, because of the block and resulting confusion, ineligible players advanced more than a yard beyond the line before the second kick happened. I can't speak to that part.