The NFL season is over, but it doesn’t mean football fans must wait until August to watch their favorite sport. In fact, the launch of the 2020 XFL season on Feb. 8 will provide fans with a new brand of football that could be even more exciting.
Vince McMahon and XFL commissioner Oliver Luck have a vision for an innovative brand of football. Fans want more scoring, faster action and an intensity that is sometimes missing from the NFL. Now the XFL is hoping its new rules will give fans exactly that.
When fans tune in for the opening kickoff, they’ll be treated to a game with different rules tailored to make the game more appealing to fans. Now, let’s take a look at what makes the XFL stand out from the NFL.
Kickoff
The game will feel different from the moment the football is kicked off for the first time. As part of the XFL’s vision to bring more excitement to the game, kickoff returns have changed to avoid touchbacks and increase returns.
Punts
Punts will be more infrequent in the XFL than the NFL, in large part thanks to rules put in place to encourage more aggressive decisions on fourth downs.
Point-After Touchdown
This is one of the areas where the XFL can really stand out. The extra-point kick has become stale in the NFL. So, the XFL is bringing a new twist to the game after a touchdown.
In the XFL’s eyes, this will add greater excitement to the game and increase opportunities for comebacks.
Overtime
When an XFL game goes to overtime, that’s when the wild excitement starts. Instead of watching long drives unfold in the XFL with few scoring opportunities, the XFL focuses on immediate scoring chances.
Clock Rules
All of these rules are meant to increase the speed of the game and help the XFL achieve its goal of games being under three hours. Stopping the clock in the comeback period also allows coaches to save their timeouts. Overall, the focus is on a quicker game with more speed and better decisions.
Instant Replay
The XFL’s goal is to have coaches focus on the game entirely and not become distracted by a referee’s mistake.
Gameplay Rules
These rules are meant to not only make the game simpler and to allow players to make more incredible catches, but to also open up more creativity in playbooks.
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