The NFL has announced that it will move all extra point attempts to the fifteen yard line to make them slightly more challenging than they were previously.
In addition, defenses can now score on 2-point conversion turnovers if they recover a ball and return it to the opposite end zone. A defense score on a 2-point conversion attempt will be worth two points.
The extra point rule for 2015 just changed. Snap for kick from the 15-yard line, 2-pt try stays at 2-yard line and defense can return.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) May 19, 2015
The additional length means that an extra point kick will amount to a 33-yard field goal attempt.
NFL now will have 33-yard extra points, inviting teams to try more two-point conversions.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 19, 2015
The NFL experimented with the 33-yard extra point attempt during last season’s preseason. However, the added distance didn’t do much to alter conversion rates. Kickers converted 94.3% of their extra point attempts from the longer distance compared to the nearly automatic 99.6% they converted under the old, shorter distance.
The near-automatic conversion of the extra point has long made it one of the most tedious parts of a football game, so it’s pretty nice to see the NFL try and address the fact that kickers have simply gotten way too good at their job to make the extra point interesting.
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