New kickoff rule in NFL
Anybody else not even know this was in the works… It’s a reality.
Under the new rule, 21 of the 22 players on the field for the play will be lined up in the return team's territory.
Kicking Team: Of the 11 players on the kicking team, 10 of them will have to have their foot on the return team's 40-yard line while the kicker will be allowed to hang back at his own 35 where he'll be kicking off from.
Return team:
As for the return team, it has a 5-yard setup zone that runs from its own 30 to its 35-yard line. Seven players from the receiving team must have their foot on the 35-yard line. The receiving team can also have two more players who are in the setup zone, but who aren't touching the 35-yard line.
Those two players will be lined up outside the hashes. The receiving team can put one or two returners back to field the football, but if they decide to utilize just one returner, then the extra player has to line up in the set-up zone between the 30- and 35-yard line.
Rule in Action:
Here's what the new kickoff looked like in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 1: