Overview

• Under procedures released by the league, each team receives 60 numbered K‑Balls for the season, may activate up to three per game 2:15 before kickoff, and can reuse each ball for no more than three games after inspection and stamping.
• Permitted prep includes wet towels and hand brushing with a Wilson‑branded brush, while high heat, water submersion, mechanical tools, and shape‑altering methods are prohibited.
• Early results show a clear uptick in distance: Tampa Bay’s Chase McLaughlin hit 65 and 58 yards in Week 4, Dallas’s Brandon Aubrey made 64, and there have been two dozen makes from 55+ yards through four weeks.
• Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says the change has ‘drastically’ altered field goals and warrants an asterisk, noting it affects end‑of‑half and end‑game play‑calling.
• Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay says kickers now work on balls all week and choose their preferred ones, while Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles credits a new generation of stronger, more accurate kickers for the long‑range boom.