Some people believe the kick return is one of the most exciting plays in football. I mean, who can forget about Chicago Bears kick returner Devin Hester’s kick return touchdown in Super Bowl 41 Or running back Nyheim Hines’ two kickoff touchdowns just days after Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s life-threatening incident Well, the NFL has decided to make a big change.
Due in part to there being so many injuries in the NFL, the league office decided to change the rule for kickoffs. The most common injuries during kickoff returns are concussions, fractures or pulled hamstrings. According to Washington Post writer Mark Maske, “The injury rate on the traditional kickoff format in recent years was about twice that of plays from the line of scrimmage; the concussion rate on kickoffs was up to four times that of plays from scrimmage.”
Due to all these injuries, the NFL has decided the teams will line up five yards apart. There will also now be two kick returners in the end zone and a kicker on the other side of the field. Nobody is allowed to move (except the kicker) until one of the returners catches the ball. The goal here is to reduce running head starts and big hits on the returner.
Another reason the NFL changed the rule was so the kickoff play would become part of the game again. Last season, only 22% of kickoffs were returned. However, during the 2024 preseason teams returned 78% of kickoffs. Additionally, 19% of preseason kickoffs resulted in touchbacks, compared to 73% last season.
The NFL changed the kickoff rules ahead of the 2024 season. However, the NCAA has not changed the rules or even considered it yet. According to Sports Illustrated, as of March 27, 2024, “No NCAA rule committees have met to discuss a change to kickoff rules.” However, that could change if the NFL’s changes appear to be successful this coming season.
With these new kickoff rules, NFL fans have left some bad reviewsAccording to Sports Illustrated, fans have posted, “What happened to the game I love?” and, “The new NFL kickoff rule is a joke.”
The NFL has tried lots of things to make the game safer. NFL fans will have mixed opinions about it all the time, however, they only change it to make the game safer.
