NFL Shares Stats On New Dynamic Kickoff Which Would Translate To One Thing League Always Wants

This is a reminder the NFL is a private business whose primary goal is to make money. And the foremost way it does this is by driving as many people as possible to watch its games on television or in stadiums.

So, how to accomplish this? Well, people are lured to become fans by the promise of action and entertainment, which the NFL understands very often comes when it delivers more POINTS.

And now you understand a root cause for the NFL's radical change on kickoffs this season. It's about more action, more entertainment and more POINTS, to heights that even the name of the play has been altered to suggest more excitement: 

Dynamic Kickoff!

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 10: Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders players line up for the kickoff in the second half of the preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The NFL is debuting a new rule on kickoffs this season.(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

NFL Modeling Suggests More POINTS

The NFL is this season testing the Dynamic Kickoff on a one-year trial basis and would love if the change breathes life into a play previously on life support. Ultimately, the goal for the new kickoff is to help teams do what?

Put up more POINTS.

"The modeling that we did in the offseason suggests that certainly better field position, like four or five yards, would yield a couple of more points per game," NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said Monday. 

Miller stressed that is based on a model and the current preseason point-production is a small sample size.

"But it's something we're going to look at for sure and monitor as we go through the regular season, if we do see continued drives starting places three to four to five yards ahead of where we were a year ago, we would expect that to translate to some number of points throughout the rest of the game," Miller added.

That is exactly what is happening so far, according to the NFL's metrics after two weeks of a full preseason slate of games plus the Hall of Fame game:

INGLEWOOD, CA - AUGUST 11, 2024: New NFL kick-off rules are in place during the opening kick of the Rams game against the Dallas Cowboys  at So-Fi  Stadium August 11,  2024 in Inglewood, California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

NFL Shares Kickoff Metrics

The NFL says 78 percent of kickoffs have been returned this preseason. That compares to 63 percent last preseason.

Of this preseason's kickoffs returned, 11 got past the 40 yard line. That, the league says, is "almost double" the number from the 2023 preseason.

The average drive start has been the 28.3 yard line this preseason. In the 2023 preseason, the average drive start mark was the 23.9 yard line.

The rate of what would be considered a subpar kick return is trending about the same as in the past. That means kickoff returns failing to reach the 20 yard line this year is 20 percent. Last year it was 23 percent.

The NFL says 43 percent of returns end up between the 21 and 30 yard lines. Last year it was 65 percent.

And this year, 65 percent of returns  have gone beyond the 30-yard line compared to 11.7 percent a year ago.

INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis (12) returns a kickoff during the NFL regular season game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers on November 26, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Longer Returns Shrink The Field

"So, we've seen a lot more kicks returned, some more dynamic kicks, meaning big plays," Miller said. "And we've seen a greater distribution of where the drives are starting."

All of these are preseason numbers. During the preseason, most special teams coordinators do not show their best strategies. That is coming in the regular season.

And there probably should be a question whether it might be more prudent to simply kick the ball through the back of the end zone, which places the ball at the 30 yard line, rather than have it end up at the 28.3 yard line on average.

That strategy completely eliminates the possibility of a return for a touchdown.

"Still a lot to be seen as we head into the regular season and teams to just show what they're planning to do in the regular season game versus what we're seeing in the preseason," NFL chief administrator of football operations Dawn Aponte said.

Aponte added it would be "not likely" for the NFL to change the drive start marker before the regular season to the 35-yard line instead of the 30 when a kickoff goes through the end zone.