No one, including referees, seems to be fully aware of the NFL’s new kickoff rules for this season.
That was made abundantly clear during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 26-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in their preseason matchup on Saturday night in Florida.
Just before halftime, after scoring a touchdown, the Jaguars gave the ball back to the Chiefs. The ball bounced just inside the end zone before rolling back onto the field. After letting it hit the ground and come to a stop, Chiefs return specialist Mecole Hardman picked up the ball and carried it back into the end zone to take a knee.
Initially, the officials ruled the play a touchback, which under the old rules would have been correct. But under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, which have completely overhauled the play, that’s no longer the case. So during a timeout while the officials were setting up, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson rushed out to argue the call.
As it turned out, he was right. The play was overturned and the Jaguars got the safety, putting them up 20-10 at halftime.
“The ball landed in the end zone and now, under the rules, it’s still a live ball,” Pederson said. “Last year, that would have been a mistake, he would have been dead and the ball would have gone out to the 25-yard line or whatever it was last year. Now the ball is live, so the ball was in the end zone, it went out to about the half-yard line. The returner was in the end zone, but he brought the ball back into the end zone when he took a knee.
“So safety is the rule.”
The , and the play looks totally different. The kicking team still kicks the ball from its own 35-yard line, but the kicking team’s players start at the opponent’s 40-yard line and can’t move until the ball 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 made with the goal of making the play safer without completely eliminating it from the game and to try to keep kickoffs relevant. Last season, only about 22% of kickoffs were returned.
Although it was a pretty serious mistake that could cause problems down the road, Chiefs coach Andy Reid wasn’t too bothered by it. After all, it was their first preseason game and the first time the new rules were being applied.
“Normally when the ball goes into the end zone and you touch it there, it’s a dead ball,” he told ESPN. “We’ll clean it up and see what they come up with.”
The Chiefs, fresh off their second straight Super Bowl win, open the season Sept. 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars, who missed the playoffs last season after finishing with a 9-8 record, open the year Sept. 8 against the Miami Dolphins.
