Tonight, the Miami Dolphins lost to the Tennessee Titans 31-12 on “Monday Night Football.” While the game was very ugly and most viewers likely switched over to the far more competitive Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks game, those who continued watching the Dolphins-Titans contest saw one of the strangest penalties of the season.
NFL World Stunned by NFL’s Strange Onside Kick Penalty
With 2:27 left in the game and Miami trailing 22-12 after a safety, the Dolphins declared an onside kick. On the ensuing safety punt, Miami kicked the ball outside of the set-up zone, so a flag was thrown. Since this was a safety punt, the Titans got the ball half the distance from the goal line, which meant the ball was spotted at the Dolphins’ 10-yard line.
This year, the NFL rules have changed due to the addition of the dynamic kickoff, so onside kicks must be declared, and the landing zones and set-up zone are brand new. As a result, there was a ton of confusion following this strange play.
So the illegal onside kick is a 15 yard penalty from the kicker's restraining line, or half-distance since this was a safety kick. Kickoff was a net -10 yards without being possessed by anyone (ball is immediately dead after going 25 yards)
— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs🇺🇦 (@footballzebras)
Football Zebras later added: “So an onside kick under the new rules can go no further than 25 yards. Basically, has to go 10 and then a 15-yard zone for the kickers to recover. This is to prevent declaring an onside kick and squibbing it past the receiving team, circumventing the typical landing zone rule.”
It seemed like nobody in Hard Rock Stadium knew the rule confidently — from the players to the coaches to the refs to the broadcasters. The ESPN broadcast wasn’t much help, with many fans and analysts pointing out that they struggled to explain the rule.
The players, coaches, announcers and for a moment the officials had no idea what the rule was here. I guess it landed beyond the landing zone? pic.twitter.com/8TWXVxLNce
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff)
Titans special teams coordinator Colt Anderson was yelling at his team immediately after the play (as seen above), proving he wasn’t sure about the rule either.
Even former ESPN personality Mike Golic Jr. joined in on the fun, pointing out that nobody involved seemed to have a good explanation for what was happening.
so no one seems to know what's going on with the new onside kick rules huh
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr)
ESPN’s rules analyst Jerry Bergman joined the broadcast to explain that a flag was thrown because the kick went past the set-up zone, but this only seemed to add to the confusion.
So Miami did an onside kick that didn't land in some zone no one has heard of and it's half the distance from the kickoff and Titans ball? a 55-yard penalty?
— David Bearman (@DavidBearmanPFN)
The Dolphins declared on onside kick on the punt after that safety …. which …. I'll be honest, I didn't know you could do that?
They recovered it but there is a lot of confusion on the field
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ)
Many fans pointed out that the NFL needs to change this rule (or get rid of the declared onside kicks altogether), as there should never be a scenario where a team gets field position this excellent based on one penalty.
The Titans proceeded to score on 4th-and-goal, which went over the total of 37 points. That never would have happened without this bizarre turn of events.
I have less than 0 idea what the hell the rule is on that Dolphins onside kick. But I know there is never an instance where a penalty on the kickoff should give the team the ball at their opponents 10 yard line
— Carl Regolino (@Carl_Regolino)
The NFL’s dynamic kickoff was the talk of the preseason, as it was supposed to increase the number of kickoff returns and decrease the number of violent, high-speed collisions.
MORE: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL’s New Dynamic Kickoff
However, the play has largely been a bust, with most teams opting to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. There was so much hype surrounding the new-look kickoffs, so fans have been underwhelmed by the lack of returns. The idea was to make kickoffs exciting again, but it has failed spectacularly in that regard.
The rule changes also ruined surprise onside kicks, as teams are now only permitted to attempt onside kicks in the fourth quarter, and it must be declared in advance. This rule change upset a lot of fans when it was initially announced, as surprise onside kicks — like the one the New Orleans Saints executed in Super Bowl 44 — were one of the most exciting plays in football but are now prohibited.
On Monday night, the only entertainment the new kickoff rules provided was the confusion that ensued on the field and in the booth after the Dolphins were penalized.