A modest change to the NFL’s kickoff guidelines made a large impression on Week 1, producing the best single-week return price in 15 years.
Within the league’s first slate of regular-season video games for the reason that touchback was moved to the 35-yard line, groups returned 118 of 156 kickoffs for a 75.6% return price. The final time the NFL had the next return price for a single week was Week 17 of the 2010 season.
Final weekend’s video games had been notably uncommon in comparison with different current opening weeks. The final time the NFL had a return price greater than 50% in Week 1 additionally was 2010 (78.1%).
The NFL overhauled its kickoff previous to the 2024 season after greater than a decade of declining return charges, prompted largely by rule modifications that incentivized groups to pursue touchbacks and decrease the variety of concussions and different accidents. In 2023, solely 21.8% of kickoffs had been returned — the fewest since at the very least 2000 and sure within the fashionable historical past of the sport. Not a single kickoff was returned in Tremendous Bowl LVIII on the finish of that season.
After analyzing a brand new alignment that first appeared within the XFL throughout its 2020 season, the NFL’s particular groups coaches really helpful a brand new strategy for 2024.
As an alternative of lowering the variety of returns, they instructed an alignment that minimized the variety of high-speed collisions. The kickoff now begins with most gamers already standing downfield, reasonably than working at full velocity to get there. They will start to cowl the kick as quickly because the ball touches the bottom or a member of the return crew.
The unique 2024 proposal referred to as for touchbacks to be noticed on the 35-yard line, which league rule-makers believed can be a strong incentive for coaches to kick a returnable ball. However it was modified to the 30-yard line as a compromise so as to generate sufficient help from homeowners to approve the rule.
The total-season return price in 2024 improved to 32.8% however fell properly in need of the league’s purpose. The common drive after a kickoff return began on the 28.8-yard line, and so most coaches most popular the understanding of a touchback in alternate for an extra 1.2 yards.
This spring, nonetheless, homeowners authorised a revival of the 35-yard touchback proposal in March. Coaches acknowledged they might be much less more likely to alternate that certainty for an extra 5 yards of discipline place, and in Week 1 they adopted by.
