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PAT rule change continues to affect outcome of NFL games
The PAT rule change, implemented in 2015, had a profound effect on three 2016 Week 1 games. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

PAT rule change continues to affect outcome of NFL games

I must admit that when the NFL decided to move the extra point to the 15-yard line—making the kick a 33-yard attempt—I was extremely skeptical. I mean, these are NFL kickers and they can make 33-yard field goals in their sleep. Yeah, maybe a few more will be missed and maybe a block or two will happen but this wasn't going to be a big enough deal for such a drastic change.

Well, I may have been wrong.

Last season, the first year under the new rule, kickers missed 71 extra points. From 2010 to 2014, kickers missed just 37 combined PATs. It made a difference. So much so that the Steelers went for the two-point conversion at a ridiculous clip.

There's no going back. They've changed things. Still, it wasn't until Week 1 of this season where it truly became noticeable to me. Several games saw a missed extra point play heavily in the ending of the game.

All three had different effects. One game ended with the team losing by that single point. Another saw a locked in victory in jeopardy. Another needed to march down the field to come from behind with a one-point deficit.

JETS-BENGALS

In the most obvious incident, the Jets' Nick Folk missed an extra point after they took a 13-10 lead in the 2nd quarter. While Folk would also have a 22-yard kick blocked, this missed PAT certainly came back to bite New York as they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-22. The missed extra point was the difference.

We all hear the saying that no one play loses the game, it was this or that. Well, that missed extra point can be pointed to as a play that lost the game. The Jets still may have lost in overtime, but they didn't get that shot.

SEAHAWKS-DOLPHINS

The Seattle Seahawks scored a touchdown with :31 remaining to take a 12-10 lead over the Miami Dolphins. Kicker Steven Hauschka missed the extra point, giving Miami a shot at winning the game. The Dolphins didn't move the ball to get a realistic chance at it, however; there was an incomplete pass to Kenny Stills who was open deep. If that was caught, Miami would have had a shot at a long field goal to win.

The missed extra point obviously put the Seahawks in a bit of a bind. While still leading by two, the Dolphins just needed a field goal to win the game.A made extra point by Hauschka would've made that scenario a tie and overtime.  It added a little bit of extra drama to the Dolphins' final drive.

LIONS-COLTS

With the game tied 28-28, the Lions scored with 4:15 remaining to take a 34-28 lead. Matt Prater would miss the extra point to give them a full seven-point touchdown lead. Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts down the field to score a TD with :37 left, with their successful extra point giving them a 35-34 lead. The Lions, led by Matt Stafford, would then march down the field to kick a game-winning field goal. Now, if the game was 35-35, would the Lions have just eaten the clock and waited for overtime? Who knows? Still, we got a thrilling finish due to a missed extra point that forced the Lions' hand.

I know that five extra points missed this past week (the Giants' Randy Bullock and Vikings' Blair Walsh also missed PATs) doesn't seem like an alarming trend, but what was once a certainty has became anything but. In the entire 2014 season, the last with the extra point was at the 2-yard line, only eight extra points were missed with only six teams missing them. Last year, with the new rule in place, only five teams went the entire season without missing one.

Three games in Week 1 hung in the balance due to one of those missed extra points. The Los Angeles Rams just wish they could actually be able to attempt one.

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