NFL's new kickoff rule stat already shows major impact on return game

The latest statistics show how the NFL's new kickoff rules are already impacting the return game.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In an attempt to make the game even safer, the NFL has rolled out a new kickoff rule for the upcoming season.

The rule has been in effect since the beginning of the preseason, and the statistics show that teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, could benefit from it.

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Through the first two weeks of the preseason, 78% of kickoffs are being returned.

We’ll continue to evaluate through the season, but the early results of the new dynamic kickoff are promising. Read more: https://t.co/G1infArZsg pic.twitter.com/IQAhFiHYU6

— Troy Vincent, Sr. (@TroyVincentSr) August 23, 2024

According to Mark Maske of The Washington Post and NFL Football Operations Troy Vincent Sr., 78 percent of kickoffs have been returned during the preseason.

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This is a massive jump, considering the last few years have been about watching the kicker boot the ball a few rows up into the stands. Fans may not be happy with the presentation of the new kickoff rule.

However, its results can't be denied.

About 78 percent of kickoffs have been returned leaguewide through two weeks of the three-week preseason, plus the opening Hall of Fame Game. That’s after only 22 percent of kickoffs were returned during the 2023 regular season — and after none of the 13 kickoffs in February’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers were returned.

- Mark Maske, WP

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Could the league be returning to the days of Dante Hall's, Devin Hester's, and Josh Cribbs' wreaking havoc on special teams? If that's the case, the Cowboys have the perfect candidate for the next dominant special teamer with KaVontae Turpin.

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