Will New NFL Kickoff Rule End Scoring Droughts?
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NFL owners have voted to tweak the rules regarding kickoff returns, which should see an increase in touchdowns.
Will it help teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs who are favorites with sports betting sites in their quest to win Super Bowl LIX.
A kickoff return was once one of the most thrilling plays, especially at the start of the game as it can set the tone for the rest of the contest.
In recent seasons, head coaches have opted for a more cautious approach, accepting a touchback, which places the ball at their own 25-yard line.
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Last season, 587 kickoffs were returned, which was down 54.4% from the 1,289 returns from the 2013 season. Only four were returned for touchdowns, and there hasn’t been one in the playoffs for the last seven seasons.
The lack of drama from kickoffs has forced the league to tweak the rule to make it a more exciting play.
The new rule will see the ball kicked from the kicking team’s 35-yard line, with his 10 teammates lined up on the opposition’s 40-yard line.
The receiving team will be lined up in their setup zone from the 30 to 35-yard line, with the exception of the kick returner.
With the new rule coming into effect for the new season, fans should see their team return more kickoffs for touchdowns.
At Gambling.com, we dived into the history books to find when each NFL scored on a kickoff return and who scored it.
New Rule Can Help Browns End The Longest Wait
Fans of the Cleveland Browns could have been forgiven for giving up on seeing their team return a kickoff for a touchdown.
After all, it’s been 232 games since they saw Josh Cribbs do so in a 41-34 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2009.
The fact that Cribbs returned two kickoffs for scores in that single game makes the 15-year wait all the more remarkable.
Surely the tweaking of the rule will make it easier for the Browns to finally find a way into the end zone from a kickoff.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just four games behind the Browns in the wait for a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Michael Spurlock’s 89-yard score in a 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons remains the last time the Bucs found the end zone from a kickoff.
The Las Vegas Raiders are third on the longest wait for a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Since Jacoby Ford returned a kickoff 104 yards for a score in a 24-17 win over Cleveland in 2011, Raiders fans have been waiting for the next one. It’s 207 games and counting.
Will fans of the Arizona Cardinals finally get to celebrate a kickoff return for a touchdown this season?
The Cardinals have the fourth longest wait for such a score. David Johnson was the last player to do so in a 48-23 win over the Chicago Bears.
Completing the top five are the New York Giants, who haven’t had a lot to celebrate in recent seasons.
One playoff win in 12 seasons is not a good return for a team that won two Super Bowls in five seasons.
Dwayne Harris remains the last Giants player to return a kickoff for a touchdown, doing so in a 27-20 win over NFC East rivals Dallas.
The New England Patriots were the last team to return a kickoff for a touchdown.
In a season that ended with a 4-13 record, Jalen Reagor’s return of the opening kickoff against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 31 was a rare highlight.
The Patriots, who went on to lose that game 27-21 were one of three teams to have accounted for the four returns scored last season.
Credit therefore goes to the Houston Texans, who returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last season.
The first came courtesy of Andrew Beck’s 85-yard score against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Damien Pierce added a 98-yard return in a 36-22 loss to the Browns on Christmas Eve.
The Texans reached last season's playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and they are climbing the market to win the AFC with sports betting apps.
The Denver Broncos scored the only other kickoff return last season, when Marvin Mims took a kickoff and returned it 99 yards for the score.
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