A series of questions arose when Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins recovered a fumble in the end zone midway through the second quarter of the NFC Championship Game.

Should it have been a touchback, as referee Bill Vinovich ruled?

Was it a safety? Or should Collins have been ruled down at the 1-yard line, where he appeared to gain possession of the ball?

All turnovers are reviewed automatically by the NFL's replay review system. In the end, the NFL ruled that Collins' left leg was touching the goal line when he gained full possession of a fumble by Green Bay Packers fullback Aaron Ripkowski. That means Collins was ruled to be in the end zone when he recovered, thus meriting a touchback.

In the initial view on the Fox broadcast, it appeared that Collins had recovered the ball prior to that point and then intentionally rolled into the end zone to secure better field position for the Falcons' offense. But the NFL rendered that observation moot by determining that he did not have full possession until his leg touched the goal line.

Based on an initial reading of the NFL rulebook, it doesn't appear that a safety ruling was a possibility in either event. At worst, the Falcons would have lost 19 yards of field position. Here is the applicable rule:

"If a defensive player, in the field of play, intercepts a pass or catches or recovers a fumble, backward pass, scrimmage kick, free kick, or fair catch kick, and his original momentum carries him into his end zone where the ball is declared dead in his team's possession. The ball belongs to the defensive team at the spot where the player’s foot or other body part touched the ground to establish possession."

The play was an enormous turning point in the first half. Instead of potentially reducing the Falcons' lead to 10-7, the Packers soon fell behind 17-0.