Before you know it, we’ll all be sitting back and watching the NFL. In fact, the preseason is right around the corner with the Hall of Fame Game set for Aug. 1 and the rest of the preseason set to kick off on Thursday, Aug. 8 with a doubleheader featuring the Panthers vs. Patriots and the Lions vs. Giants.
On Friday, the NFL released its full preseason schedule, which naturally had us chomping at the bit for our football fix. It also got us thinking — What are we most excited about when the exhibition season rolls around? Of course, excitement can only run so high for games that don’t count, but there are a handful of storylines that’ll be worth your attention when we get there.
Here’s a look at the five things we’re most looking forward to this preseason.
1. First in-game look at new kickoff rule
In case you missed it, games are going to look quite a bit different this season after the league agreed to change the kickoff rules for the 2024 campaign. The kicker will be in his normal spot, but the rest of the 21 players on the field will be in the receiving team’s territory. The 10 players on the kicking team will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line, while the receiving team can have up to two players as returners and the rest will line up in the setup zone, which is a 5-yard area that runs from the receiving team’s 30 to its 35-yard line.
It’s going to be a drastic change for both teams and fans, so seeing it play out during the preseason will be fascinating to watch unfold, from how teams will deploy their returners to whether or not it makes for a more exciting play.
2. Rookie QBs pushing to start Week 1
One of the big storylines surrounding every preseason is young quarterbacks — largely drafted in the first round — pushing for QB1 status to begin the year. We already know that Caleb Williams is set to start out of the gate for the Chicago Bears, but it’ll be…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-preseason-new-kickoff-rule-rookie-debuts-among-five-things-were-looking-forward-to-seeing-most/
Author : Tyler Sullivan
Publish date : 2024-06-07 17:15:50
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