Will New Extra-Point Rules Cause More Teams To Go For Two?
First, the new rule:
Extra points will be snapped from the 15 (instead of the 2), making them a 32- or 33-yard kick.
Two-point conversion attempts will still be snapped from the 2-yard-line.
Both plays will be “live,” meaning defenses can return blocks/interceptions/recovered fumbles for two points of their own.
During the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, NFL place-kickers converted 97.6 percent of all kicks between 30-35 yards when lined up in the middle of the field.
To put those figures in context, let’s plug them into the 2014 season. At 97.6 percent accuracy, we would have seen 1,200 of 1,230 extra points converted. Instead of eight misses, there would have been 30.
Conservatively, the new rule should result in at an extra missed PAT a week or so. Maybe some of those will end up mattering; maybe none will.