NFL changes extra point rules, will allow defenses to return 2-point conversions

The NFL is changing things up in a massive way this season, as defenses can return two-point conversions for points of their own.

For years, there has been discussion of moving back the extra point in the NFL and making it harder than the chip shot it has been for so long. While it took a while for the rules committee to warm up to the idea, we were rewarded for our waiting with big changes to an increasingly important part of the game.

Prior to this upcoming season, the NFL would allow a team to either choose between kicking and extra point from a few yards out or going for two-points. That’s all a thing of that past — and things are now as interesting as they’ve ever been.

According to Dean Blandino, the NFL will be changing the rules for the 2015 season when it comes to extra points and two-point conversions.

The biggest thing out of al of this is the adoption of the college football style rule that a defense can return a two point conversion for points of their own. That’s a seismic shift to the rules as it’s something that further weights coaches against going for two no matter what the situation.

This will be particularly interesting to watch in the preseason, where just about everyone goes for two because — well, why the hell not. But with the extra point pushed back to 33-yards, this puts an extra emphasis on making sure your kicker is doing his job and not just phoning it in.

We’ve seen kicker miss kicks from a few yards out and this could change things in a big way as the extra point is now as important as it’s ever been in the past.

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