As the 2024 NFL season unofficially began on Thursday night, so too did the league’s new kickoff rule — which proved divisive.
While the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and Texans didn’t feature stars such as C.J. Stroud or rookie Caleb Williams, the new policy — dubbed the “Dynamic Kickoff” — seemed to steal much of the spotlight.
A large camp of fans and analysts perceived the XFL-style format as unnatural.
“The new kickoff is going to look fake for the rest of our lives,” ESPN analyst Kevin Clark wrote on X. “We are gonna have to remind ourselves we are still doing that on every kickoff we see until we pass on. It won’t do. I’m sorry to say we need to just go back to touchbacks.”
Other fans in replies to clips of kicks didn’t mince as many words.
“This is weird. Not bad just weird to look at,” wrote one user.
“Utter woke nonsense,” joked another, getting over 750 likes.
The primary reason for the dislike may indeed be presentation.
Instead of defenders lining up alongside kickers and then sprinting down the field to meet blockers head-on, the two rows of players now must wait to move until the ball is either caught or hits the ground.
That can give the play a more lethargic feel.
At the same time, the goal of the modified kickoff is to incentivize returns by imposing heavy penalties on touchbacks — now placed at the 30-yard line — as well as a mandate on returning kicks between the goal line and 20, now known as the “landing zone.”
That proved portentous in the debut of the rule, as all six kicks in the first half were returned.
Some fans appeared to enjoy the improved action after a historically low 22 percent of kicks were brought back last season.
“A kick off where the returner actually has to return the kick AND the guys blocking don’t have to be flat footed when they collide with a guy running full speed at them? Sign me up,” expressed one.
“If you slip thru an opening…it’s a house call” opined another, suggesting the potential for more explosive plays.
Nevertheless, no return proved very highlight-worthy from Canton, Ohio in the first half, with neither Chicago nor Houston starting beyond its own 28-yard line in the first 30 minutes of action.
