Special teams explained: kickoffs, punts and field goals, including the new kickoff

The players

• Kicker: handles kickoffs, field goals and extra points.
• Punter: kicks the ball away on fourth down.
• Long snapper: a specialist who snaps the ball back accurately on punts and kicks.
• Holder: usually the punter, who catches the snap and places the ball for the kicker.
• Returners: catch kicks and punts and try to run them back.
• Coverage and blocking units: mostly backup players who tackle returners or block for them.

The dynamic kickoff

• The kicker kicks from his own 35-yard line, but the rest of the kicking team lines up at the receiving team's 40, only a few yards from the receiving team's blockers, who line up in a setup zone just behind them.
• Nobody except the kicker and the returners may move until the ball lands or is touched. This removes the long running starts that caused heavy collisions.
• The landing zone runs from the receiving team's goal line to its 20-yard line. A ball that lands there must be played and is usually returned.
• A kick that lands short of the landing zone, or goes out of bounds, gives the receiving team the ball at its 40-yard line.
• A kick that goes into the end zone in the air and is not returned is a touchback at the 35-yard line, moved up from the 30 for the 2025 season to encourage returns. A kick that lands in the landing zone and rolls into the end zone brings the ball out only to the 20.
• Onside kicks, where the kicking team tries to recover a short kick, use a traditional alignment, and a team must declare one in advance. Under the current rules this option is meant for a team that is trailing.

Punts

• The punter stands about 15 yards behind the line and kicks the ball from his hands.
• Coverage players run downfield to tackle the returner.
• A returner can signal a fair catch by waving an arm above his head; he cannot then be hit, but the ball is dead where he catches it.
• A punt that goes into the end zone is a touchback at the 20.
• Good punters aim to pin opponents deep by landing the ball near the goal line or angling it out of bounds.
• Fake punts, where the team runs or passes instead, are rare but exciting.

Field goals and extra points

• A field goal is worth three points. The ball is snapped about seven yards back and kicked through the uprights. The distance quoted includes the ten-yard end zone and the snap, so it is about 17 yards more than the line of scrimmage.
• After a touchdown, a team may kick an extra point for one point from a spot that makes it a roughly 33-yard kick, or attempt a two-point conversion by running or passing from the 2-yard line.
• A blocked kick can be picked up and returned by the defence.
• If a field goal misses, the opponent takes over at the spot of the kick or the 20, whichever is further from its own goal.

Why special teams matter

• Field position: a good punt or return can be worth as much as a successful drive.
• Hidden points: missed kicks and returns for touchdowns often decide close games.

How to watch special teams