In the first two games of the NFL season, the new “dynamic kickoff” looked like it was going to be a dud. After a full slate of games, it’s looking like one of the league’s best innovations in years.
According to Pro Football Talk, there were 57 kickoff returns and a 33-percent return rate in Week 1, both of which were five-year highs.
A fourth of the kicks were caught or landed in the landing zone, the area from the goal line to the receiving team’s 20-yard line. 73-percent went to or through the end zone for touchbacks and three failed to reach the landing zone or went out of bounds.
The average starting point for all drives is the 29-yard line and for kick returns, it’s now the 28-yard line.
What’s interesting is what this means for coaches who have elected to kick the ball through the end zone and start the ball at the 30-yard line. If the starting field position is the 29-yard line, would it be worth it to risk a long return or better to just concede the extra yard on average?
It’ll be interesting to watch how the kickoffs play out across the league as coaches get acclimated to the rule change.
