So, I’ve been digging into this whole NFL extra point thing lately, and let me tell you, it’s a bit more complicated than you’d think. I mean, who knew there were so many rules about kicking a ball after scoring a touchdown?
I started off just wanting to know how long the extra point kick is. Seems like a simple question, right? Well, it turns out the answer’s been all over the place throughout NFL history. They keep changing the rules!
Anyway, I dove into some articles and found out that an extra point nowadays is basically a 32- or 33-yard kick. Here’s how I figured it out: they snap the ball from the 15-yard line, then you gotta add 10 yards for the end zone, and another 7 or 8 yards because that’s how far back the kicker usually stands. Boom, 32 or 33 yards.
But then I stumbled onto this whole “going for two” thing. Apparently, instead of kicking for one extra point, teams can try to run or pass the ball into the end zone for two points. I read that this whole concept goes way back to the 1950s in college football, and then the American Football League picked it up in the ’60s.
Going for Two Points or Kicking for One
Now, here’s where it got interesting. I learned that since the NFL made the extra point kick longer back in 2015, the math on whether to go for two or just kick for one got super close. It’s like, a 47.5% chance of making the two-point conversion versus a 94% chance of making the extra point kick. Makes you think, right?
- Kicking for One: Super reliable, almost guaranteed point.
- Going for Two: Riskier, but you get double the points if you make it.
I also found out that if a team tries to go for two at first and mess it up, they can still score another touchdown later and try going for two again to tie the game! It is really interesting! And, get this, the NFL even changed a rule recently where teams don’t even have to kick the extra point anymore if they score the game-winning touchdown on the last play. It is wild, right?
Honestly, I went down a total rabbit hole with this. But it was a fun one! Turns out there’s a lot more strategy to these extra points than I thought. I’ll probably keep looking into this stuff – it’s pretty fascinating how much thought goes into these little parts of the game.
