Understanding the Functionality of NFL's Revised Kickoff Regulations

If you're similar to me, you flicked on the inaugural game of the new NFL season this week and immediately bellowed, "The kickoff's all wrong! What the hell's going on?" Don't freak out: The National Football League has revised the rules for the kickoff for the 2024 season. The "revolutionary kickoff" aims to generate a safer and more thrilling commencing to a sequence of downs.

What are the regulations of the NFL's "revolutionary kickoff?"

The first aspect you'll notice regarding the revolutionary kickoff is the deployment of players. The same as the traditional kickoff, the kicker initiates the play from behind the 35-yard line; however, the other players are lined up in a divergent manner. They are arranged around two regions—the "landing zone" between the receiving team's end zone and the 20-yard line, and "The deployment zone" between the 30- and 35-yard lines of the receiving team.

The kicking team's starting position

The ten non-kickers on the kicking team position themselves on the receiving team's 40-yard line (called the "kickoff start line") and remain stationary. They are forbidden to move until the kicked ball either touches a player from the opposing team or touches the ground.

The receiving team's starting position

The receiving team must station at least one to two players in the landing zone. The remaining nine or ten players are arranged in the deployment zone, between their 30- and 35-yard lines, with seven players required to be on the 35-yard line itself. Only the players in the landing zone are allowed to move before the ball touches a player or the ground.

How the revolutionary kickoff operates

Once everyone is in place, with most players only ten yards apart, the kicker launches the ball. The direction of the subsequent play depends on where the kick lands and the receiver's choices. Here's a breakdown of how it goes:

If the kick lands short of the landing zone or goes out of bounds, the receiving team begins the series on the 40-yard line.
If the kick lands in the end zone, the receiving team can opt to return it for as many yards as possible or choose a touchback and initiate the series on the 30-yard line.
If the kick goes beyond the end zone, the receiving team starts on the 30-yard line.
If the ball hits the ground in the landing zone and travels into the end zone, the receiving team can attempt a return or opt for a touchback and receive the ball on the 20-yard line.
A kick that lands in the landing zone and fails to travel into the end zone must be returned. Presumably, this allows the kicking team to attempt to pin the opposing team at the back of the field, forcing the receiving team to run instead of opting for a touchback.

The NFL introduced significant modifications to the onside-kick rule this season, too. The "do-or-die" play where the kicking team attempts to recover its own kickoff will be even more challenging to accomplish this season: Only the losing team in the fourth quarter can attempt an onside kick, and they must declare it before it's executed.

Why were NFL's kickoff rules altered?

The NFL revised the rules for kickoffs for two primary reasons:

Traditional kickoffs are harmful: More injuries, particularly concussions, occur on kickoffs than on any other type of play—two groups of large men charging head-on towards each other will result in that. Many of those injuries are especially pointless. Since the kicking team's players have time to rush toward the receiving team while the ball is in the air, collisions between players (and the injuries that result) often happen even if the receiving team opts for a touchback.
Traditional kickoffs are dull: Approximately half of all traditional kickoffs conclude in touchbacks, with the receiving team starting at the 25-yard line. The average return is around 22 yards, so whether the receiver runs it back or not, the receiving team will typically start their drive at the same position on the field.

The revolutionary kickoff is designed to address both issues. Opposing players commence the play much closer together, which minimizes any momentum in any collisions, and subsequently, fewer injuries. The new kickoff rules also encourage more returns, theoretically, which most fans agree are more entertaining than touchbacks.

How is the NFL's revised kickoff rule performing so far?

Whether this will succeed or not remains to be seen, but the early feedback from the rule modification is divided. Things appeared promising in the preseason. In 49 preseason games, 70.5% of kickoffs were returned; under the old rules, 54.8% of preseason kickoffs were returned. Matters went differently in the first game of the 2024 season, though. In the opener between the Chiefs and Ravens, there were 11 kickoffs, with nine of them resulting in touchbacks.

Another compelling result of the rule adjustments in the preseason: Kickers made 11 tackles plus assists, roughly twice as many as were made under the old rules in the previous season. This stat alone is sufficient reason for me to support the new rules. There's nothing more remarkable and potentially amusing than a kicker attempting to make a tackle.

The new kickoff rules in the NFL are part of the entertainment aspect, aiming to make the beginning of sequences of downs more thrilling. According to the regulations, the receiving team must have at least one to two players in the landing zone, while the remaining players are arranged in the deployment zone, creating more opportunities for returns instead of touchbacks.