No one, including officials, appears to be fully aware of the NFL’s new kickoff rules this season.
That became clear during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their exhibition game on Saturday night in Florida.
Just before halftime, after scoring a touchdown, the Jaguars kicked the ball back to the Chiefs. The ball bounced just inside the end zone before rolling back into play. After dropping the ball to the ground and coming to a stop, Chiefs returner Mecole Hardman grabbed the ball and brought it back to the end zone to get down on one knee.
Initially, the play was ruled a touchback by officials, which would have been legal under the old rules. But under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, which have completely changed the game, that’s no longer the case. So during a timeout while officials were getting ready, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson ran out to argue the call.
As it turned out, he was right. The play was reversed and the Jaguars were awarded the safety, putting them up 20-10 at halftime.
“The ball landed in the end zone and it’s still a live ball in regulation,” Pederson said. “Last year it would have been down, it would have been dead and the ball comes out to whatever, the 25 or whatever it was last year. Now it’s live, so the ball was in the end zone, came out to about the half-yard line. The returner was in the end zone but pulled the ball back into the end zone when he took a knee.
“So safety. That’s the rule.”
The , and the game looks completely different. The team kicking the ball still kicks the ball from their own 35-yard line, but players on the kicking team start at the opposing team’s 40 and are not allowed to move until the ball touches the ground or a player is in the “landing zone,” which is defined as the area between the goal line and the 20-yard line.
The changes were made in an effort to make the game safer without removing it from the game entirely, and to try to keep kickoffs relevant. Last season, only about 22% of kickoffs were actually returned — .
While that was a significant blunder that could cause problems later, Chiefs coach Andy Reid wasn’t too concerned. After all, it was their first pre-season game and the first time with the new rules.
“Normally, if the ball goes into the end zone and you touch it, it’s a dead ball,” he said, via ESPN. “We’re going to clean it up and see what they come up with.”
The Chiefs, fresh off their second consecutive Super Bowl win, open their season on Sept. 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars, who missed the playoffs last season after a 9-8 record, open the year on Sept. 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
