Early returns: NFL’s new kickoff model flips touchback rate in preseason games

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

The first full weekend of NFL preseason games provided the first chance to truly evaluate the league’s new kickoff return model, a major change implemented with the hope of bringing the return back to the game without as much risk of injury.

Here’s a short video explaining the new kickoff, which features most players lining up five yards apart from each other at the opposing 35- and 40-yard lines and unable to move until the kickoff is fielded. It’s a model that was used in the XFL in 2022-23. The NFL has tweaked it a bit, with the goal of flipping the league from a record-high 78% of kicks being touchbacks last season to a comparable number being returned.

This was a first run for everyone, so teams weren’t trying a lot of complexity or wrinkles — those might not come until the regular season, where the surprise factor could lead to big plays. But for now, we have some basic data to crunch from 16 games, and the stats are encouraging.

Out of 127 total kickoffs this weekend, 82% were returned. It’s a small sample, but almost four times as often as last year’s regular season. The average starting field position on drives after kickoffs last year was 25.5 — basically the 26-yard line (barely better than conceding a touchback at the 25) — but this past weekend, the average was 28.6, or basically the 29-yard line. 

To help encourage more returns, the NFL has three kinds of touchbacks on kickoffs. If the ball lands on the field and bounces into the end zone, taking a knee there puts the ball at the 20. A kickoff where the ball lands in or through the end zone now puts the ball at the 30. And there is a new “major touchback” where if the ball fails to land in the “landing zone” (between the goal line and the 20) the ball is then placed at the 40.

There were four “major” touchbacks this weekend. The Raiders and Seahawks had kicks that landed at the 21, barely outside the landing zone,…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/early-returns-nfls-new-kickoff-model-flips-touchback-rate-preseason-games

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Publish date : 2024-08-12 16:35:45

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