What happened: The Atlanta Falcons recovered an onside kick Sunday, ending a league-wide drought on kickoff attempts. The recovery marks the first successful onside kick across the NFL during the 2026 campaign.
Why it matters: NFL clubs had failed on 23 consecutive onside kick attempts to begin the season under updated kickoff alignments. Atlanta's conversion provides a rare special-teams breakthrough and secures an extra possession in the second half.
By the numbers: NFL teams converted zero of their first 23 onside kick attempts in 2026 before Atlanta's recovery moved the league-wide conversion rate to 4.2%.
What to watch: Atlanta looks to capitalize on the short field as game action continues.