Returning for the 2024 season, the National Football League (NFL) is back with a change to kickoff rules establishing a more dynamic and safer sport.
In professional football, the kickoff has been a play untouched for years. In recent years, the play has become boring due to the insanely high rate of touchbacks, despite being dangerous. In week one of the 2023 NFL season, only 20.5% of all kickoffs were returned, while CNN states “kickoffs were four times more likely to cause a concussion than the average play.” Now the NFL modified kickoffs, providing a safer and more exciting play.
This is a monumental step forward in working to make the NFL a safer game. Having the players start closer together is much safer because neither team has a running start. This takes away high-speed collisions, leading to less concussions and safer play.
With the old kickoff rules, the ball was placed at the 35-yard line and kicked off, with all players on the kickoff team running full speed as the ball was booted. The other teams’ players spread out along the other half of the field, trying to block the opposing players so they could return the ball far up the field.
In the new format, the ball is still placed on the 35-yard line to be kicked from. However, the players on the kickoff team now line up with at least one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. A minimum of seven receiving team players line up on the 35-yard line, and two others line up between the 30 and 35-yard line. The remaining two players for the receiving team line up by the end zone to return the ball.
Once everyone is lined up, the ball is kicked and it lands in what is called the landing zone, which is between the 30-yard line and the goal line on the return team’s side. When the ball lands in the landing zone the play begins and it turns into a normal kickoff play. If the ball does not fall in the landing zone and goes through the end zone, it is a touchback where the receiving team will start with the ball at the 30-yard line.
The new format has created more action with opportunity for game-changing play. With the threat of a touchback allowing the opposing team to start automatically at the 30-yard line, many kicks are now being kicked such that there is a return. This allows for more opportunities for returners to break a big return and have revolutionary plays.
This kickoff reform is a major step in the right direction to creating a safer league. The opportunity for cutting-edge plays is a breath of fresh air, considering there have never been altercations. The NFL’s new twist to the games’ rules amplifies football’s entertainment for the future.
