The NFL owners voted Tuesday to change the distance of the point after touchdown, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino announced on Twitter.
The extra point rule for 2015 just changed. Snap for kick from the 15-yard line, 2-pt try stays at 2-yard line and defense can return.
— Dean Blandino (@DeanBlandino) May 19, 2015
The rule moving the spot of the extra point from the 2-year line to the 15-yard line effectively makes the PAT a 33-yard attempt.
Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos (5) kicks a field goal against the New York Jets in at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Extra points from the 2-yard line were converted at a 99.5 percent success rate in 2014, according to the NFL Network.
Chiefs second-year kicker Cairo Santos shouldn’t have problems with the longer PAT attempt.
The 24-year-old Santos was 6-of-7 on field goal attempts between 30-39 yards as a rookie in 2014.
His lone miss came on a 37-yard attempt on the road against the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
The league experimented the first two weeks of the 2014 preseason by moving the PAT attempt to the 15-yard line. The results showed a 94.3 percent success rate, according to the NFL Network.
Santos, who joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane, went 3-of-3 on PAT attempts during that two-week experimentation period while splitting kicks during a battle with then-Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop.
Here is a breakdown of Santos’ regular-season kicks between 30-39 yards in 2014:
|
WEEK |
YARD ATTEMPT | MAKE |
|
1 |
36 |
Yes |
|
2 |
37 |
No |
|
4 |
31 |
Yes |
|
10 |
36 |
Yes |
|
13 |
39 |
Yes |
|
16 |
35 |
Yes |
| 17 | 31 |
Yes |
