Ever watch the Detroit Lions and get angry when the return man opts to field the kickoff in the end zone and run it out? If you want the ball at the 25 without the drama of a run back, it turns out you are making the right call.
Jack Duffin studied the results for Football Outsiders, and his findings validate the opinion that the Lions — and all NFL teams — are better off just taking the touchback.
Duffin tracked every kick return originating in the end zone and the outcome of the play in 2018. The Lions opted to bring the ball out of the end zone seven times, right in the middle of the pack. Just two of those seven attempts advanced the ball past the Lions 25-yard line. Even worse, the Lions turned the ball over on one of those two, an Ameer Abdullah fumble in the loss to Seattle in his final game in Detroit.
That costly turnover was one of just three giveaways around the league on these types of plays, with the NFC North rival Packers losing the other two.
Just 10 of the 32 teams averaged better than the 25-yard line on returns out of the end zone. That includes Miami, which scored the only touchdown on such a return and didn’t make the 25 on 13 of its league-high 20 efforts.
The Lions were right around the league average by starting at the 23.1 when returning out of the end zone. Just 29 percent of all returns around the league broke the 25, a figure which does include yards lost to penalties.
