Breaking Down the 2024 NFL Rule Changes

The NFL has introduced several key rule changes for the upcoming 2024 season. These modifications, designed to enhance the game's safety, fairness, and excitement, have been proposed by both individual clubs and the NFL's Competition Committee. In this blog post, we will break down each rule change, providing a clear understanding of what to expect in the new season.

Approved Rule Changes by NFL Clubs

Detroit Lions Proposal

Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1:

• Amendment: Protects a club’s ability to challenge a third ruling following one successful challenge.
• Impact: Teams will now have increased opportunities to challenge calls, potentially leading to fairer outcomes and fewer officiating errors affecting the game's result.

Approved Rule Changes by the Competition Committee

Major Foul Enforcement

Rule 14, Section 5, Article 2:

• Amendment: Allows enforcement of a major foul by the offense before a change of possession when both teams commit fouls.
• Impact: This ensures that significant fouls committed by the offense are not negated by subsequent penalties by the defense, maintaining the integrity of the play.

Reviewable Passer Plays

Rule 15, Section 3, Article 3:

• Amendment: Includes rulings of a passer down by contact or out of bounds before throwing a pass as reviewable plays.
• Impact: This addition provides clarity and accuracy in critical game situations, ensuring that incorrect calls on quarterbacks are minimized through replay reviews.

Game Clock Expiry Reviews

Rule 15, Section 3, Article 9:

• Amendment: Allows a replay review when there is clear and obvious visual evidence that the game clock expired before any snap.
• Impact: This change aims to prevent incorrect plays from continuing after the game clock has expired, promoting fairness and accuracy.

Dangerous Tackling Technique Elimination

Rule 12, Section 2:

• Amendment: Eliminates a potentially dangerous tackling technique.
• Impact: Player safety is a priority, and removing hazardous techniques helps reduce injuries, contributing to a safer playing environment.

In advance of the 2024 season, NFL clubs have unanimously voted to remove the hip-drop tackle from the game.

A hip-drop tackle happens when a defender wraps up a ball carrier, rotates or swivels his hips, unweights himself, and drops onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.

The NFL analyzed more than 20,000 tackles over the past two seasons and found that this specific technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles, posing an unacceptable risk to player health and safety.

Using a hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first-down if a player employs the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:

• Grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms, and
• Unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.

New Free Kick Play (One-Year Experiment)

Rule 6:

• Amendment: Introduces a new form of a free kick play designed to resemble a typical scrimmage play, promoting more returns and reducing space and speed.
• Impact: This experiment aims to make kickoff returns safer and more exciting, with automatic reviews to ensure compliance with new rules.

Detailed Breakdown of the New Kickoff Rule

The most significant change for 2024 revolves around the kickoff play, introduced for a one-year trial. Here are the specifics:

Kickoff Setup

• Kickoff Point: The ball is kicked from the A35 yard line.
• Safety Kicks: Performed from the A20 yard line.

Alignment

• Kicking Team: All players, except the kicker, must line up with one foot on the receiving team's B40 yard line. They cannot move until the ball touches the ground or a player in the landing zone.
• Receiving Team: Must have at least 9 players in the setup zone (B35 to B30 yard line), with specific alignment requirements.

Landing Zone Rules

• Definition: The area between the receiving team’s goal line and the 20-yard line.
• Kicks Short of Landing Zone: Treated as out of bounds, and the ball is spotted at the B40 yard line.
• Kicks in Landing Zone: Must be returned. If it goes into the end zone, it can be downed for a touchback at the B20 yard line. If downed in the end zone from the air, the touchback is at the B30 yard line.

Miscellaneous

• No Fair Catches: Officials will blow the play dead if attempted.
• Onside Kicks: Teams trailing in the 4th quarter can declare an onside kick, with penalties applying for non-compliance with setup zone rules.

Penalties and Special Situations

• Penalties: Affect the kick spot but not the alignment of players.
• Safety Kicks: Can use a tee from the 20-yard line, maintaining the same setup and landing zones.

Excitement and Anticipation

The 2024 NFL season promises to be thrilling with these rule changes. The new kickoff formation, aimed at increasing returns and reducing injuries, is particularly exciting. While the absence of surprise onside kicks may be missed, the potential for more dynamic kickoff plays adds a new layer of strategy and entertainment to the game.

These changes reflect the NFL's commitment to evolving the game for safety and excitement, ensuring fans and players have a compelling and fair experience on the field.

Feel free to share your thoughts and excitement about these new rules in the comments! What changes are you most looking forward to, and how do you think they will impact the game?