The NFL's new kickoff rules halted the Cardinals' miraculous comeback against the Seahawks on this week's edition of Thursday Night Football.
Arizona scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, their first and only trips to the end zone during the game, which tied things up with Seattle with under 30 seconds left in the contest. The Cardinals had all the momentum and eyed overtime, but their plans were soured when Chad Ryland's kick landed just short of the landing zone, which is the area between the receiving team's goal line and the 20-yard line.
Kickoffs short of the landing zone are treated the same as one that goes out of bounds where the ball gets placed at the 40-yard line. Ryland's kick landed about one yard short of the 20-yard line, which set up the Seahawks with great field position to hit a game-winning field goal. The errant kick served costly, but Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon refused to blame Ryland, mentioning he was directed to keep the ball in play so they could burn some time.
The unfortunate moment that led to Arizona's 23-20 loss resulted in plenty of discussion surrounding the NFL's new dynamic kickoff, which was first implemented in 2024. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel went off on the rule in an appearance on Kay Adams's Up & Adams Show.
"The new kicking rules are awful," he said. "[The Cardinals] lost that game because of a half of a yard not landing in the landing zone. And if you kick it in the end zone now it comes out to the 35. Like, I'm a football purist, and people are going nuts over it like, 'Oh, this is the rule.' One completion wins you the game now.
"I just think we're changing so many of the rules."
You can watch Daniel's full rant on the dynamic kickoff below:
"The new kicking rules are AWFUL. They lost that game because of a half of a yard not landing in the landing zone."
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 26, 2025
Chase Daniel didn't hold back 👀@heykayadams | @ChaseDaniel pic.twitter.com/6JbyDHFoOI
Gannon's take was different, noting "the game doesn't come down to one play." He's certainly correct as the Cardinals could've done much more in the first three quarters to win the game and he's obviously going to back up his player instead of bashing a league rule. But, the kick did lead to the Seahawks' ability to win the game in regulation when anything could have happened in overtime.
Whether you like the new kickoff rule or not, it will certainly continue to be a point of contention, especially if it continues to impact key moments of games.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Former NFL QB Rails Against 'Awful' Kickoff Rules That Came Back to Haunt Cardinals.
