The NFL kickoff has recently become a “go to the kitchen to grab another beer” type of play. Viewers could safely assume that they would return to the couch to see the offense start the drive from the 25-yard line. In fact, over 77% of kickoffs resulted in a touchback in the first eight weeks of the season last year making kickoffs pretty monotonous - a play where everyone just goes through the motions.
The NFL has historically changed the kickoff rules to protect players as a lot of injuries happen when you have players running down the field and colliding at full speed, but until now, the changes have been at the expense of thrilling entertainment.