Kickoff returns still rare in NFL; Detroit Lions’ Dave Fipp says it’s not worth the gamble

If the first game of the 2024 NFL season was any indication, teams will treat the new kickoff rule just like the old one and err on the side of kicking touchbacks.

Of the 11 kickoffs in Thursday’s Kansas City Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens game, just two resulted in returns.

The Chiefs put all six of their kickoffs into, or through the back of, the end zone, while the Ravens kicked three touchbacks and set two up for two returns, both of which resulted in gains past the 30-yard line (though one of those possessions started inside the 20 after a penalty).

Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp acknowledged

Thursday the new kickoff rule likely would result in a high volume of touchbacks.

“The easiest way I can explain it is if you place a $100 bet — not that we like talking betting here — but if you place a $100 bet and you broke even if the ball went to the 30 — that’s where the touchback goes — well, for every yard, you stop them in front of the 30, you get a buck back,” Fipp said.

“I would say it’s hard to get 10 bucks back on that play and tackling them at the 20, but there’s 70 yards that way that you might give up if it goes the other way, so it’s like this risk/reward thing.

“And the biggest challenge with the play is, if you’re asking me would I love to play every one of them out? I would love to play every single one of them out, but at the end of the day, our job really is to try to win a football game

So when you have the team approach in mind, then I think that changes your decision-making a little bit.”

The NFL overhauled its kickoffs rules this offseason in an effort to create a safer play with fewer high-speed collisions that would encourage more returns.

The kickoff, historically, has been a high injury-rate play, and last year, only about 22% of kickoffs were returned league-wide.