Nobody, including the officials, seem fully caught up on the NFL’s new kickoff rules this season.
That was made perfectly clear during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in their preseason matchup on Saturday night in Florida.
Just before halftime after they scored a touchdown, the Jaguars kicked the ball back to the Chiefs. The ball bounced just barely inside the end zone first before rolling back into play. After letting it hit the ground and come to a stop, Chiefs returner Mecole Hardman grabbed the ball and brought it back into the end zone to take a knee.
Initially, the play was ruled a touchback by the officials — which, based on old rules, would have been correct. But under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, which have completely transformed the play, that’s no longer the case. So during a timeout as officials were getting set, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson went running out to argue the call.
As it turns out, he was right. The play was overturned and the Jaguars were awarded the safety. That put them up 20-10 at the break.
“The ball landed in the end zone and now by rule is still a live ball,” Pederson said, via ESPN. “Last year that would’ve been down, it would’ve been dead and the ball comes out to what, the 25 or whatever it was last year. Now the ball’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 NFL is implementing new rules for kickoffs this season, and the play looks totally different. The kicking team still kicks the ball from their own 35-yard line, but players from the kicking team start at the opponent’s 40 and can’t move until the ball either hits the ground or a player in the “landing zone,” which is defined as the area between the goal line and the 20-yard line.
The changes were done in an effort to make the play safer without completely eliminating it from the game, and to try and keep kickoffs relevant. Last season, only about 22% of kickoffs were actually returned — which was the lowest rate in NFL history.
Though that’s a pretty big blunder that could cause problems down the line, Chiefs coach Andy Reid wasn’t too bothered by it. After all, it was their first preseason game and first time with the new rules.
“Normally when the ball goes into the end zone, and you touch it there, it’s a dead ball,” he said, via ESPN. “We’ll get it cleaned up and see what they come up with.”
The Chiefs, who are fresh off their second consecutive Super Bowl win, will open their season on Sept. 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars, who missed the playoffs last season after going 9-8, will open the year on Sept. 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
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