I love the NFL. So, when I saw the question “How many safeties happen in the NFL?” I was really curious. It really got my interest going, and I figured that now would be the perfect time to do some research.
I began to research the topic and soon realized that there were actually two forms of ‘safety’ in the NFL: a ‘safety kick‘ and an ‘offensive safety’. The latter is when an offensive player commits a penalty that results in both loss of yards and a point for the end team. That’s pretty crazy, right? I was really surprised to find out that this was a thing in the NFL.
Next, I began to look into how many safeties occur during each NFL season. After going through the stats, I was amazed to find out that the average number of safeties has decreased over the years. In fact, since 2000 there has been an average of just three offensive safeties per season. That’s far lower than I expected.
It became clear from my research that the majority of safeties come from defensive plays.This makes sense because the defense has the ultimate goal of stopping the offense from scoring. In the 2016-2017 season, over seventy percent of safeties were due to offside penalties, and the remaining safeties were the result of roughing the passer and other illegal defensive contact penalties.
I soon realized that there are several ways that offenses can work to minimize the risk of a safety. The most common form of prevention is to ensure that all offensive players are aware of the rules and regulations of the game. This means that they understand when it is safe to make glancing blows and when they should back off. It is also up to the coaching staff to emphasize these rules and ensure that all players are following them. Additionally, many teams will also practice situational awareness drills to help reduce safeties.
This information was both enlightening and a bit startling. It seems that, although offense get the majority of the credit, defensive players play a much larger role in the safety of NFL teams. It is a prime example of the importance of a well-coordinated team. Even though safety is not always the most exciting aspect of the game, it’s still an important factor in the NFL.
To keep the number of safeties low, it is important for both the offense and the defense to remain vigilant and play smart. Offenses should make sure that all players are up to speed on the rules and regulations, and defensive players should make sure to stay aware of the downfield action and avoid any unnecessary roughness. If teams work together to remain focused and disciplined, the number of safeties should decrease even more.
As for the actual numbers, I found out that the average number of offensive safeties decreased by almost one since 2000. For defensive play, the average number of safeties remained almost the same. This fact alone should indicate that teams are doing a better job with defensive coaching and preventing safeties. A good amount of credit should go to the teams who have improved their defensive strategies and overall play in recent years.