A forward pass, legal or illegal, is incomplete and the ball becomes dead when the pass touches the ground or goes out of bounds. It is also incomplete when a player in is the air possesses the pass and alights so that his first contact with the ground or with anything other than a player or game official is on or outside a boundary. When an incompletion occurs the down counts unless the pass is after a change of possession. If the pass is legal, the passing team next snaps the ball at the previous spot, unless lost after fourth down.
Tag: previous spot
Rule 6, Section 1, Article 9
A free kick shall not be kicked out of bounds between the goal lines untouched inbounds by R. If it is kicked out of bounds and R does not accept a penalty for kick-catch interference on the same kick as in 6-5-4, R has the following choices:
a. Accept a 5-yard penalty from the previous spot and have k rekick;
b. Accept a 5-yard penalty from the succeeding spot;
c. Put the ball in play at the inbounds spot 25 yards beyond the previous spot; or
d.. Decline the penalty and put the ball in play at the inbounds spot.
The Zebra Files 