A small tweak to the kickoff rule led to a big increase in kickoff returns in the first week of the 2025 NFL season.

Teams returned 75.6% of kickoffs in Week 1 for the highest rate in any week since the 2010 season, the last time the kickoff spot was at the 30-yard line.

The league moved kickoffs to the 35 the following season and the return rate dropped from 80% in 2010 to 53.4% in 2011 as kickers could easily reach the end zone for touchbacks.

The return rate kept dropping and reached a record-low 21.8% in 2023, leading to the decision to adopt the so-called dynamic kickoff last season.

The first year of the experiment led to a modest uptick in returns, with the rate rising to 32.8% last season, while reducing the rate of injuries on the play.

The rule made kickoffs more like scri

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