Arrowhead Pride
Now that the NFL has changed its kickoff return rules, touchbacks — kickoffs that land in the end zone rather than the proscribed landing zone between the goal line and the 20-yard line — are now placed at the 35-yard line. What had become a routine play now offers lots more excitement.
Through two games, Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker has had only two of his nine kickoffs go for touchbacks. That’s compared to 79% of them in 2024.
Under the new rules, that’s pretty much how things have been going for all NFL teams.
“What we’ve seen [other teams do] is what we do,” assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub said on Thursday, “and I think everybody’s on the same page with this thing.”
But as we saw in Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, a wrinkle of the dynamic kick formation emerged. The Seahawks’ Jason Myers kicked the ball into the end zone, but Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson touched it while he was in the landing zone— and then didn’t make a play on the ball in the end zone. The Seahawks fell on the live ball for an easy touchdown.
Although Johnson is a rookie, Toub worries about veteran players who might make a similar error when new special teams rules seem to be thrown at them every season.
“Sometimes,” he explained, “you get an older player that’s [comfortable] with the old rules. All of a sudden, he’s a returner back there — and all of a sudden, he just blanks out. [He] just forgets, ‘Oh, it’s a touchback.‘ Those guys are on you because they’re right there. If you forget for a second, they’re going to get on it. That was a heads-up play.”
Toub’s unit will be taking note of Johnson’s blunder before Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants.
“We look at all the big plays,” he revealed. “We’ll look at that [with the team] on Saturday night. It’s all set up to look at — just to remind guys what could happen. That was huge.“
Toub also addressed another special teams moment — this one from Sunday’s contest between the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. Kicker Spencer Shrader — who kicked for the Chiefs in two of last season’s games while Butker was injured — lined up for a game-winning 60-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in the game. His kick fell short, but Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman was penalized for leverage — that is, he stood on a Colts player to try to block the kick.
After the 15-yard penalty, Shrader was good on the 45-yard attempt — and the Colts won as time expired.
Toub believes officials made the right call.
“I was mad because I [wanted] to see Schrader do well and make the kick on the first one — on the 60 yarder,” he recalled. “Then when he missed it, he got another chance. I’m glad he made it.
“But...
