#Kickoff super bowl 2021 plus
#Kickoff super bowl 2021 series

McAfee's opening boot in 2010 was one of 49 opening kickoffs that were returned in the 55-year history of the Super Bowl. According to former All-Pro specialist Pat McAfee - who booted the opening kickoff for the Colts in Super Bowl XLI - the ball used in title games isn't handled until the opening kickoff, and it's kicked just once before being removed and preserved for the Hall of Fame. Kickers are usually able to break in the specialized 'K-Ball' - a harder and slicker ball that the league introduced in 1999 - ahead of the opening kickoff, which helps soften the football and make it easier to boot 75 yards down the field. What's the reason for this unbelievable trend in the big game? There's a simple explanation: the ball.

Since the kickoff moved to the 35-yard line in 2011, just two opening kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks - even as sportsbooks continue to deal 'yes' as the overwhelming favorite.

#Kickoff super bowl 2021 series

In 2012, 43.5% of all kickoffs resulted in touchbacks in 2016, the NFL moved touchbacks to the 25-yard line in a series of rule changes that led to a record touchback percentage (61.2%) last season.īut none of that has mattered in the Super Bowl. The rule was effective at reducing injuries, and it drastically increased the regularity of touchbacks. Then, in 2011, the league reversed course and moved kickoffs back to the 35-yard line to reduce concussions sustained on returns. The effect is clear in the Super Bowl data, too: from 1994 to 2010, every single title game opened with a kickoff return. Over the next 17 years, just 11.3% of all kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. One of those changes involved moving the kickoff spot from the 35-yard line to the 30-yard line, which saw the league's touchback percentage plummet from 23.3% in 1993 to a mere 7% the following season.

In 1994, the NFL introduced a series of rule changes to increase scoring and counter a dramatic increase in field-goal attempts. That trend comes despite a bevy of recent rule changes intended to improve player safety - primarily by increasing the likelihood of touchbacks.

#Kickoff super bowl 2021 plus

It doesn't take a mathematician to realize that 'no' at plus money is a screaming value, especially with each of the last four Super Bowls opening with a kick return. A whopping 26 of 28 Super Bowls since 1994 have not featured a touchback on the opening kickoff.