SAN FRANCISCO (USA TODAY) -- The most boring play in the NFL has gotten slightly more interesting.
League owners approved multiple changes to the point after attempt Tuesday, with the extra point now being snapped from the 15-yard line instead of the 2-yard line — effectively making it a 33-yard try — while the defense will now have the opportunity to score two points on a return. The two-point conversion will remain at the 2-yard line.
The proposal, submitted by the competition committee, passed with a 30-2 vote, with only the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders voting against it.
The change is currently approved for only the 2015 season, but Houston Texansgeneral manager Rick Smith, a member of the competition committee, said the expectation is that the change will stick long term.
"This isn't an experiment. It's a rule change," Smith said. "We have given ourselves the ability to look at the statistics and make sure we are accomplishing the things we are trying to accomplish."
And that is making the extra point a more competitive play after kickers converted 99.5% of those kicks in 2014. Dean Blandino, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said kickers made between 93-94% of attempts from 33 yards last season.
"The overall goal throughout the process was to make the play more challenging and a more skilled play than what it was," Blandino said.
