The NFL and college football have both been looking for ways to speed up the game as well as find ways to protect players better from injuries. For years, there has been conversation about one particular part of the game that could be modified to both speed up the game and protect players better: the kickoff.
This past season, only 21.8% of all kickoffs were even returned, amounting to just over one in every five in the NFL, and college wasn’t much better. For some teams, including the Rams and Colts, they averaged less than one return per game. Even the Packers, who led the league in kick returns, averaged only 1.7 returns per game.
Most notably, there were 13 kickoffs in the Super Bowl, and not a single one was returned. If teams aren’t going to return kicks, why even have a kickoff? After 0/13, during the most-watched event in all American Sports, it is not a matter of if there will be a rule change, but rather what changes will occur. Here are the two most likely scenarios to take place.
Adopt a XFL-like Kickoff Model
When the XFL re-debuted in 2023 one of the most popular parts of the game was the kickoff. Rather than having a traditional kickoff from the 35-yard line, the ball was kicked from the 20-yard line, and players were lined up five yards from each other at the opposite 30 and 35-yard line. Once the returner touched the ball, both sides were allowed to move and play like a traditional kickoff return.
Following the first season, more than 90% of kickoffs were returned. This change wouldn’t lead to speeding up the games at all; however, what it would do is make the time well worth it all while keeping the chances of injuries about the same as any other traditional play since kickoff tacklers wouldn’t be running 50+ yards at full speed toward the returner.
Eliminate Kickoffs Completely
Nobody wants to see this happen; however, if the league is looking for a way to shorten games and decrease injuries, this is a choice that will be explored. The average time that a kickoff takes from setting up the kick to the offense coming onto the field is about 1:30 in total time. If a game has ten kickoffs, that would be 15 minutes knocked off by simply not having a kickoff.
Again, nobody likes this option, but with only one of our five kickoffs getting returned anyway, the sacrifice would be minimal, and it would eliminate 100% of kickoff-related injuries.
Resistance to Change in the NFL
The NFL and most professional leagues have been slow in the past to make drastic changes to their sports in fear of damaging or changing the tradition of the game. However, with kickoffs becoming a rare part of the game anyway, it feels like change is going to come regardless, so why not make it in a way that is at least entertaining and will bring more viewers to the game?
A Word on Onside Kicks
This is also a rule change that is desperately needed in college and the NFL. Onside kicks, particularly at the end of the game, have become so incredibly tough to recover that it now sits at 5.6% in the NFL, and that includes a few trick-play attempts that raise the percentage. The rate prior to rule changes in 2018 was 18%, or at least a chance.
To fix this issue, the NFL should also consider looking at the XFL model, where instead of a traditional kick, teams can have a single 4th down and 12 plays from the 33-yard line. Perhaps the distance and spot would change for the NFL and college, but this feels more like a fair shot that matches up an offense to a defense as opposed to a super lucky bounce that only works once in every 20 attempts.
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There were 13 touchbacks (and zero returns) on 13 kickoffs during Super Bowl LVIII. That comes when the NFL has said that it has been analyzing the XFL kickoff model among the potential modifications to the kickoff that could be implemented this offseason.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 17, 2024
1 Comment
Just cut out so many commercials