The Patriots kicked the opening kickoff for Super Bowl 60, and the result was a touchback.
While most Super Bowls, including last year’s, open with touchback on the opening kickoff, new kickoff rules make that far less likely this year and oddsmakers will adjust when offering markets on the result of the opening kickoff for Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8.
The new rules move a touchback from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line and a kick out of bounds results in a 40-yard line start for the opposition. Kickers have to reach a “landing zone” between the 20-yard line and goal line to force a return. We break down the tendencies of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots kickoff teams, and past Super Bowl trends, below.
There are hundreds of ways to bet on Super Bowl 60 at legal online sportsbooks and one of the earliest bets to settle is the opening kickoff result. Stay tuned for more information on the opening kickoff when the matchup is determined after the AFC and NFC Championship games.
How to bet on the Super Bowl 59 opening kickoff
Here were the last odds posted on the wager ahead of Super Bowl 59 from DraftKings and FanDuel.
If you think that a touchback is on the way in the game’s opening kickoff, you simply select “yes.” If you think any other outcome will happen, choose “no.” Just seconds after the ball starts sailing through the air, you’ll have an answer. That’s one of the appeals of this bet. Rather than waiting for the entire game to play out, you’ll find out whether your bet has won or lost right away. If you win, funds will quickly arrive in your account.
Super Bowl kickoff touchback results and trends
The opening kickoff of Super Bowl 58 resulted in a touchback. That was the favorite in terms of results, and the result was never really in doubt as the ball sailed out of the end zone prior to the 49ers first possession. And Super Bowl 59, featuring the Chiefs and Eagles, also resulted in an opening kickoff for a touchback.
This year in the NFL, the touchback rate has been cut in half compared to the 2024-25 season and the return has roughly tripled when compared to the 2023-24 season. Last year, the NFL changed to a “dynamic kickoff” format that reduced the number of returns, and this year there was another significant shift in the special teams play.
The Patriots kickoff team struggled with the eighth-highest touchback rate (24.5%) while the Seahawks (18%) were closer to league average. Patriots kicker Andres Borregales has three touchbacks on 13 kickoffs (23%) in the playoffs this year. Seahawks kicker Jason Myers has two touchbacks on 14 kickoffs (14%) in two playoff games.
Best Super Bowl 59 Promos & Offers
Check back here for the latest odds boosts and promotions.
Other Super Bowl prop bets
Looking for other options when it comes to your Super Bowl props? Check our guides for some of the options at top Super Bowl betting sites.
Super Bowl opening kickoff stats
Historically, the Super Bowl’s opening kickoff has not resulted in many touchbacks. While the last two Super Bowls had the opening kickoff result in a touchback, overall that’s happened in only four of the 32 most recent Super Bowls. Of course, that was before the past two season’s rule changes. All four of those opening kickoff touchbacks came in indoor games. Super Bowl 60 will not be indoors, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Has the opening kickoff ever been returned for a TD at the Super Bowl?
At Super Bowl XLI in 2007, Devin Hester of the Bears took the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown versus the Colts. That was the first and only time that it has happened to date. All told, just 10 kickoffs have been returned for TDs at the Super Bowl. No team has ever attempted an onside kick to begin the Super Bowl.