The Arizona Cardinals’ recent game against the Seattle Seahawks brought attention to the NFL’s new kickoff “landing zone” rule after a late-game mistake by kicker Chad Ryland. Following touchdowns by Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emari Demercado, Ryland executed two similar kickoffs, but only one resulted in a costly penalty.
On his first attempt, Ryland kicked to the left and the ball landed at Seattle’s 7-yard line, with the return reaching the Seahawks’ 22. However, after Demercado’s game-tying touchdown, Ryland’s next kickoff landed at Seattle’s 21-yard line—outside of the designated “landing zone,” which requires kickoffs to land between the opponent’s 20-yard line and goal line. The result was a penalty that gave Seattle possession at their own 40-yard line with just 28 seconds remaining.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon explained that the team wanted Ryland to keep the ball in play to force a return and potentially run down some clock. “That’s kind of one of the things we talk about late in the game there with the amount of timeouts and time and what they needed, we were trying to burn off some time there,” Gannon said. “Chad played his ass off. The game doesn’t come down to one play. We didn’t do enough collectively for 60 minutes to win the game.”
Gannon acknowledged that navigating kickoffs under current rules is challenging, as many are being returned past the 30-yard line or result in touchbacks or penalties like Ryland’s miscue. He noted teams are experimenting with kicks designed to stay within bounds without going too deep or short—a tactic that worked for Ryland earlier in the game.
When asked about finding consistency on such plays, Gannon said he is waiting for more league-wide data as teams adjust through midseason: “I thought we played well on kickoff all day,” he said. “He just kind of mishit that one. It’s the difference of a yard and (then) it could be really good for you. There are decisions I made, when you look at it, some of them worked and some of them didn’t work from a game management standpoint. I try to look at those critically. Sometimes when those work you’re not off the hook, and some things when they don’t work you still think you made the right decision. That’s the chair I’m in, and that’s OK.”
The impact of field position was also evident as both teams demonstrated long field-goal capabilities; Ryland himself converted a 57-yarder earlier in the contest from just inside Seattle territory.
