Few Super Bowl props settle faster than the opening kickoff. Sportsbooks ask a simple question, will the first kick of the game end in a touchback, and bettors usually have their answer within seconds of kickoff.
Super Bowl LXI is set for Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and books typically post this market once the conference championship round settles the matchup. The trend heading in is striking: the opening kickoff has gone for a touchback in five straight Super Bowls, including Super Bowl LX, when New England Patriots kicker Andrés Borregales sent the first kick of the night through the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks.
That streak survived a major shift in the NFL’s kickoff rules, which made returns far more common across the league in 2025. Below, LegalSportsReport explains how this prop works, how the dynamic kickoff has changed the math and what recent Super Bowls tell us before Super Bowl LXI odds go live.
Super Bowl 61 opening kickoff touchback odds
Expect this market to open after the conference title games, priced as a straightforward yes or no. Pick “yes” if you believe the opening kick will end in a touchback. Any other result, whether that’s a return, a kick that sails out of bounds or an onside attempt, cashes a “no” ticket. Some sportsbooks package a fair catch together with a touchback under one outcome, so read the market name closely before you bet.
For reference, here’s where two leading sportsbooks had this prop before Super Bowl LIX, when the old kickoff tendencies still made a touchback the heavy favorite.
Those prices flipped a year later. With kick returns now the norm, the touchback was the underdog ahead of Super Bowl LX, listed around +190 at one major book, and it still came through. We’ll add Super Bowl LXI lines here as soon as they post.
How the dynamic kickoff changed this bet
The NFL introduced its dynamic kickoff in 2024 and tightened it for 2025 to encourage more returns. The key mechanics for bettors:
- Touchback spot: A kick that sails through the end zone gives the receiving team the ball at its own 35-yard line, up from the 30.
- Landing zone: Kicks must land inside the area from the 20-yard line to the goal line. One that falls short hands the receiving team strong field position.
- Out of bounds: A kickoff out of bounds gives the opponent the ball at its own 40.
The effect was dramatic. According to PFF, the league-wide kickoff return rate jumped from 22.9% in 2023 to 34.7% in 2024 and 75.9% in 2025. For 2026, the league made smaller adjustments, cutting the number of receiving players required on the restraining line from six to five and allowing teams to declare an onside kick at any point in a game. With returns far more common during the regular season, the five-game Super Bowl streak is a big reason this prop remains hard to price.
Opening kickoff results in recent Super Bowls
Opening kickoff touchbacks were rare for most of Super Bowl history, but the last five games have all started the same way.
| Super Bowl | Stadium | Kicker | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| LX (2026) | Levi’s Stadium (open air) | Andrés Borregales, Patriots | Touchback |
| LIX (2025) | Caesars Superdome (dome) | Harrison Butker, Chiefs | Touchback |
| LVIII (2024) | Allegiant Stadium (dome) | Harrison Butker, Chiefs | Touchback |
| LVII (2023) | State Farm Stadium (retractable roof) | Harrison Butker, Chiefs | Touchback |
| LVI (2022) | SoFi Stadium (covered) | Evan McPherson, Bengals | Touchback |
| LV (2021) | Raymond James Stadium (open air) | Harrison Butker, Chiefs | Returned 26 yards |
Two details stand out. Before Super Bowl LX, every recent opening kickoff touchback had come under a roof, where kickers don’t fight wind or cold. Borregales broke that pattern outdoors at Levi’s Stadium, and he did it under rules designed to keep the ball in play. Super Bowl LXI heads back to SoFi Stadium, whose translucent roof shields kickers from the elements, and the last Super Bowl played there also opened with a touchback.
The other factor is who kicks. A team that wins the coin toss usually defers, so the toss winner’s kicker typically handles the opener. Before betting, check each kicker’s touchback rate during the 2026 regular season and playoffs, since some kickoff units still favor booming the ball deep while others aim for the landing zone.
Super Bowl opening kickoff return touchdowns
Only once. Chicago Bears returner Devin Hester returned the first kick of Super Bowl XLI 92 yards to the end zone against the Indianapolis Colts in February 2007, and no one has matched it since. A team has also never opened a Super Bowl with an onside kick, although the 2026 rule allowing teams to declare an onside attempt at any time technically makes that an option.
More Super Bowl props worth a look
The opening kickoff is one of dozens of novelty markets on a typical Super Bowl board. For the sportsbooks with the deepest prop menus, see our guide to the top Super Bowl betting sites, and browse our other prop pages below.
- Coin toss odds
- Super Bowl MVP odds
- Gatorade color odds
- National anthem odds
- First down odds
- Passing attempt odds
- Scorigami odds
- Octopus odds
Most of these markets go live in the two weeks between the conference championships and Super Bowl Sunday, so check back as February 14 approaches.