Standard kickoffs will continue to start at the 35-yard line but the rest of the set-up looks pretty different, involving an area called the “landing zone” between the receiving team’s end zone and 20-yard line. You might have seen this zone highlighted by a rectangle in preseason broadcasts.
The 10 players on the kicking team will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line and cannot move until the ball hits a player or the ground in the landing zone or the end zone.
The returning team can have a maximum of two returners anywhere in the landing zone, while at least nine players line up between their 30- and 35-yard lines (or the “setup zone”) with at least seven players touching the 35. Only the kickers and two returners can move until the ball hits a player or the ground in the landing zone or the end zone.
By bringing teams closer together at the start and restricting their movement, players have less space and speed for high-force collisions that have plagued the league in the past.
Here are the key changes to touchbacks and returns:
If the ball reaches the end zone in the air, the receiving team can return it or opt for a touchback and possession at the 30.
If the ball hits the landing zone and then goes into the end zone, the receiving team can return it or opt for a touchback and possession at the 20.
Any kick that hits the landing zone (but doesn’t go into the end zone) must be returned.
Any kick out of bounds or short of the landing zone places the ball at the 40.
This could incentivize teams to kick the ball just short of the end zone, forcing a return and creating more room for an exciting play. But kickers might still kick the ball deep to put it at the 30, even though it gives the receiving team a better starting position than in previous seasons.
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