Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
Support the Peninsula’s only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe!
Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions.
Premium Subscription
As low as $8.25 per week
Premium Includes:
-- Access to the Daily Journal’s e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. You can download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. You can also clip & download articles or images from the e-edition to share with others The most recent 90 issues are available at any given time.
-- Unlimited access to our award-winning online content
-- Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community
-- NEW! Access to our online-only digital crossword puzzle. A new puzzle every day, seven days a week!
| Rate | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | $99.00 | for 365 days |
| 1 Month | $20.00 | for 30 days |
| 1 Week | $8.25 | for 7 days |
Support the Peninsula’s only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe!
Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions.
DJ Basic Subscription
As low as $5 per month
Basic includes:
-- Unlimited access to our award-winning online content
-- Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community
What you're missing -- Additional features available only with the Premium level:
-- Access to the Daily Journal’s e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. You can download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. You can also clip & download articles or images from the e-edition to share with others The most recent 90 issues are available at any given time.
-- NEW! Access to our online-only digital crossword puzzle. A new puzzle every day, seven days a week!
All for as low as $8.25 per month.
| Rate | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | $60.00 | for 365 days |
| 1 Month | $12.00 | for 30 days |
| 1 Week | $5.00 | for 7 days |
A small tweak to the kickoff rule led to a big increase in kickoff returns in the first week of the 2025 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 scrimmage plays by placing the coverage players and blockers close together to eliminate the high-speed collisions that had contributed to so many injuries on the play. The league said the rate of concussions dropped 43% on returns, with a significant reduction as well in lower-body injuries.
By moving the touchback to the 35 this season, the league projected that the return rate will rise to somewhere between 60% and 70%, with a similar increase in long returns, adding more excitement to the game.
It exceeded those goals in Week 1 with more than three-quarters of all kickoffs getting returned.
The average drive start after a kickoff return was the 29.5 yard line in Week 1 compared to the 29 for all of last season, according to Sportradar. The bigger gap in starting position following the average of return compared to a touchback is leading to teams kicking the ball short of the end zone more often.
Seven of the returns went for at least 40 yards, including a 71-yarder by Tennessee’s Chimere Dike that set up a field goal at the end of the first half for the Titans against Denver. There haven't been more returns for at least 40 yards in a single week since there were nine in Week 13 of the 2015 season.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Plaza Suite Read morePlaza Suite
Classic, custom & vintage automobiles displayed throughout the day along with music, loc… Read more2025 San Mateo Rotary Car Show
Join us for this family-friendly event, and explore how green buildings can help shape a hea… Read moreGreen Building Tour: Greenprints for a Brighter Future
Join us at the beautiful Burlingame Community Center for a resource fair, free health screen… Read moreBurlingame Senior Showcase
JustMike650 said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.