That. And it would have been illegal, if he kicked the ball forward intentionally:
Item 4. Fumbled or Muffed Ball Goes Forward. The fact that a fumbled or muffed ball goes forward is disregarded, unless the act is ruled intentional. If it is intentional, a fumbled ball that goes forward is a forward pass (8-1-1), and a muff is a bat (12-5-1).
That. And it would have been illegal, if he kicked the ball forward intentionally:
Article 4, Item 4 of the nfl rules
But that wasn’t the case either.