The Detroit Lions are ditching their conservative touchback approach and dialing up the heat on kickoffs in 2025. With a rule change boosting touchbacks to the 35-yard line and Jake Bates proving he can nail booming boots, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is ready to unleash a more aggressive kickoff strategy.
TL;DR:
Lions hit 77.3% touchbacks in 2024, placing the ball at the 30-yard line.
Rule tweak moves touchbacks to the 35, creating a statistical incentive to challenge returns.
Rookie kicker Jake Bates mastered field goals (26-of-29) and is now expanding into directional kickoffs.
Expect Detroit’s kickoff strategy to focus on pinning opponents deep and forcing negative yardage.
Dave Fipp Dan Campbell brilliant football mind
Why the Lions Are Rethinking Their Kickoff Strategy
Last season, Detroit opted for the safe play: boot it into the end zone and settle for a touchback. Fipp explained as quoted by Pride of Detroit, “A year ago, the touchback went at the 30, and… the average drive started at the 29.5 or something like that. So there was no real benefit—if you wanted to be average—to obviously kicking the ball off and returning it.” In other words, playing for a 30-yard start felt just as good as risking a long return.
Touchback Rule Change Shifts the Math
The NFL’s shift to a 35-yard touchback upends that logic. “If the average is the 29.5 and the touchback is the 35,” Fipp noted, “then obviously there’s statistically incentive.” That extra 5 yards makes trusting your coverage worth the gamble. Suddenly, a well-placed kickoff that pins opponents inside the 20 is more valuable than letting them start at midfield.
Jake Bates Earns Dave Fipp’s Trust
Conservatism wasn’t born from caution—it was born from necessity. Bates was a rookie kicker in 2024, and Fipp didn’t want to overload him. “That wasn’t necessarily his strength going into the season,” Fipp admitted. After mastering field goals (including six from 50+ yards), Bates has honed directional kickoffs in early OTAs. His booming leg and consistency give Fipp the confidence to dial up trickier kicks without worrying about missed field goals.
Aggressive Kickoffs: Playing on the Attack in 2025
With data from last year and Bates’ reliability, Fipp promises a more attack-minded approach. “We’ll play a lot more on the attack,” he said, “a lot more aggressive, a lot more trying to create negative field position…rather than kind of playing it conservatively.” Expect squibbers, coffin-corner kicks, and surprise onside attempts—whatever it takes to flip the field and give Detroit’s defense an early advantage.