Five weeks into the new “dynamic” kickoff rule, more than two-thirds of the NFL’s kickoffs have been touchbacks.
The touchback rate through Week Five is 67.1 percent. That’s a slight decline from last year’s rate of 73.0 percent, but it’s not the kind of major change to kickoffs that was intended when the NFL implemented its new rule.
In addition to reducing the number of injuries by preventing players from getting up to full speed before smashing into each other, the new kickoff was supposedly dynamic because it would promote more excitement. Moving the touchback out to the 30-yard line was designed to encourage kickers to keep the ball in play, but most teams have calculated that it’s better just to concede the 30-yard line than to risk a long return. Only five teams -- the Cowboys, Raiders, Panthers Saints and Commanders -- have had touchbacks on less than half of their kickoffs.
The original proposal for the kickoff rule was to spot the ball on the 35-yard line after touchbacks, which might have incentivized teams to keep the ball in play. But when the final rule change put touchbacks out to the 30, most teams decided touchbacks weren’t worth it.
That rule might change for next year, but this year touchbacks outnumber returns by more than two-to-one.
