Bills, NFL Must Adapt to Major Rule Change in 2023

The NFL made some significant rule changes for the 2023 season, but there might be one that stands out about the rest. How could it impact the Buffalo Bills?

While the Buffalo Bills kick off the second week of OTAs (albeit without Stefon Diggs), the NFL has approved a few notable changes for the upcoming season. 

NFL owners met for the annual spring meeting and among the approved proposals are the ability to flex Thursday Night Football games and the "emergency" third quarterback position... However, the biggest change is to kickoffs.

The new rule will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line — just as if the kickoff had gone through the end zone.

The NFL reasons that the change will reduce the risk of injuries, especially concussions, on kickoffs which are typically one of the most dangerous parts of the game.

One of the best highlights of the NFL season in 2022 just so happened to come on a pair of kickoff return by the Bills in Week 18 against the New England Patriots. In what was the first game for the team since safety Damar Hamlin suffered on-field cardiac arrest, Buffalo running back Nyheim Hines ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown before doing it again in the third quarter. 

The emotions and excitement surrounding those two kickoffs was unlike anything seen in the NFL before. Now, it's less likely that Bills Mafia will see Hines take one to the house on the potential rare occasion he decides to field the ball and run with it.

The argument against the rule is centered around concerns it pushes the kickoff return further toward irrelevance and will lead to uglier plays with squib and corner kicks.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has concerns about the special teams change. The reigning Super Bowl Champions Chiefs are favorites to again win the Lombardi Trophy but will have to make special teams adjustments like the rest of the league. Reid told reporters last week that he worries about one change will turn into many that will ultimately transform the game in a negative way.

“So you start taking pieces (away), and we’ll see how this goes, but you don’t want to take too many pieces away," Reid said. "You’ll be playing flag football.”

The kickoff rule is a one-year change that will be reevaluated next offseason. Reports suggested that this change had been opposed by a significant number of the league’s special teams coaches.

In quarterback Josh Allen's sixth season, Buffalo looks to contend deeper into the playoffs this season by adjusting to the internal and external shifts in 2023.

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