Some of the most exciting plays from Super Bowl LVIII involved the foot.
San Francisco kicker Jake Moody set a Super Bowl record with a 55-yard field goal that lasted until the next quarter when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailed a 57-yarder. And the game turned on a muffed punt in the third quarter that hit off the foot of 49ers special teamer Darrell Luter Jr.
But for all the drama surrounding the foot, there was absolutely none with the kickoff. The two teams kicked off a total of 13 times, and not a single one was ever returned out of the end zone. Thirteen kickoffs, 13 touchbacks.
Two months ago, NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent called the kickoff a “dead, ceremonial play,” and that couldn’t have been more true in the NFL’s crown jewel event. The officials may as well have placed the ball at the 25-yard line and blew the whistle rather than boring the 22 players and more than 120 million Americans with the perfunctory kick.
The NFL has been actively trying to figure out ways to adjust the kickoff that reduces injuries — specifically concussions — while still serving as a necessary and exciting play in the course of the game. The league has succeeded in its first mission, but fewer kickoffs are being returned than ever. And sources tell CBS Sports the sentiment is there’s no leading alternative right now to solve the issue of the disappearing kickoff return.
Last offseason, NFL team owners approved a resolution that allows players to fair-catch a kickoff that would result in the ball being placed at the 25-yard line. In the 2023 regular season, kickoff returns dropped dramatically. In 2022, 38% of kickoffs were returned compared to just 22% in the 2023 regular season.
NFL kickers had gotten almost too good at hanging the ball inside the 10-yard line to encourage a return. And the league saw its injury data spike in 2022, causing the NFL to force a rule change.
The…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/the-2024-super-bowl-highlighted-the-irrelevance-of-kickoffs-but-does-the-nfl-have-a-better-alternative/
Author : Jonathan Jones
Publish date : 2024-02-15 17:37:17
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