Two years ago, the National Football League decided to move the extra point from the two-yard line to the fifteen-yard line. While this sounds like a simple adjustment, the place kickers throughout the NFL weren’t too happy, and this week’s performance at the extra point line is the exact reason why.

In Week 11, NFL place kickers missed a record 12 extra points spreading across several games. It seemed almost impossible, seeing that just a year ago, one missed PAT (point after touchdown) was embarrassing and a rarity.

Robbie Gould from the Giants and Mike Nugent of the Bengals lead the league with each missing two extra points in their own games. Even though one of Nugent’s misses can be attributed to a poor snap, these are important and crucial points that should no longer be brushed under the table.

For years, the extra point was nothing but a victory lap after scoring a touchdown. Now it can be seen as a legitimate field goal. Even though the ball is lined up on the fifteen-yard line, the kicker must stand back from the ball about five yards. And on top of that, the goal posts are at the back of the end zone, which is another ten or so yards. All this adds up to about a thirty-yard field goal.

The change is very apparent in the stats, too. During the 2014 season, when the PAT was still lined up on the two-yard line, there were only six teams out of thirty-two that didn’t have 100% success at the extra point line. And of those six teams, the lowest percentage was still at 94.3 percent (Chicago).

Last season, the first year with the new rule, there were only five teams with 100% completion on their extra points (Atlanta, Dallas, Green Bay, Baltimore, and New England). The team with the lowest percentage was Jacksonville, with 82.1 percent.

Many NFL fans are mixed on the issue. Some claim it adds pressure to the kickers and sets the good apart from the great, such as Dan Bailey of the Cowboys and Justin Tucker of the Ravens, both of whom have not missed an extra point since the new rule (Bailey and Tucker are two of the most accurate kickers in League history).

On the other hand, many fans and players say the rule only creates more potential for players to get hurt. Before, the defensive players on an extra point sort of sat around and waited for the kick to go in, knowing they couldn’t do much to stop it. Now, you have defensive players going to great lengths to stop it, creating more potential to get hurt on both sides of the ball.

The true purpose behind this decision, aside from creating more of a challenge for kickers, was to increase the occurrence of a two-point conversion. Some teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, have claimed that they will steer away from the extra point in favor of the two-point conversion. Since the chances of getting each have leveled out and, well, two points is greater than one. It makes a lot of sense. 

Regardless, kickers around the NFL will hope to forget this past week of football. All they can do now is keep practicing and pray that the events of week eleven never happen again.

Brent’s Top 5 QBs: Week 11 

1. Tom Brady – What can you say? He’s simply the greatest.

2. Matt Ryan – Matt Ryan should really be sharing this spot with Julio Jones.

3. Drew Brees – If you look past the Saints’ awful record, you’ll realize Drew Brees is leading the League in every major passing category.

4. Derek Carr – How many fourth-quarter comebacks does a guy need to have to be considered amazing?

5. Dak Prescott – 10 wins in a row? As a rookie? From the fourth round? Wow.