The Extra Point How did NFL kickoff units approach the 2024 Dynamic Kickoff?

How did NFL kickoff units approach the 2024 Dynamic Kickoff?

20 hours ago

The 2024 NFL season saw the debut of the new Dynamic Kickoff. After the lowest kickoff return rate in NFL history during the 2023 season, the new format was meant to address the low kickoff return rate and decrease the injury rate on kickoffs.

See the Dynamic Kickoff explained

Under the new rule, there were 332 more kickoff returns in 2024, which translates to an increase in the kickoff return rate to 32.8%, up from 21.8%. We also saw 59 big play returns — returns of 40 or more yards — the most in the league since 2016.

While the league’s return rate trended upwards, not all teams treated the play the same. 

To look at each team’s strategy, we plotted where kickoffs landed for each team during the 2024 season. 

The chart below shows the landing locations of kickoffs from AFC teams. Teams are shown in ascending order (left to right and top to bottom) by their percentage of kicks that landed in the endzone. The Houston Texans were most comfortable inviting returns with the highest rate of kickoffs into the landing zone (60%). In contrast, the Indianapolis Colts were more conservative, kicking the ball into the endzone 92% of the time. 

A few AFC teams stood out. The Pittsburgh Steelers tended to kick off down the middle of the field, while the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers showed more variety in where their kicker placed the ball. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts both preferred to kick it deep into the endzone, though the Jaguars tended to aim left, while the Colts aimed right. 

In the NFC, the Washington Commanders were most aggressive, placing 60% of their kicks in the landing zone. The New Orleans Saints (51%), Dallas Cowboys (42%), and Carolina Panthers (41%) were also relatively aggressive in kicking the ball short. The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals showed little variety in their kicking strategy — both teams aimed most of their kicks into the back middle of the end zone.

In an interesting trend, five teams that played most of their games indoors — the Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Colts, Rams, and Minnesota Vikings — tended to kick the ball into the endzone.

We assume that teams will continue to refine their approach throughout the playoffs. Until then, we can expect more kickoff returns as seen during the season.