A significant NFL rule change is reportedly on the horizon, one that should greatly reduce the amount of officiating controversies that have plagued the league for years.
According to a report from Mark Maske of the Washington Post, a 2025 NFL rule change could feature the implementation of “an electronic system” to help measure first downs to help officials properly spot the football:
“The NFL will consider implementing an electronic system for measuring first downs during the 2025 season, according to a person familiar with the league’s planning on the matter.
The system, which the NFL has tested in game conditions in recent seasons, would involve the football being spotted manually by the on-field officials before the electronic system would determine whether that spot resulted in a first down. That system requires such a manual placement of the ball following a play and does not incorporate, for instance, the use of a chip in the football to determine whether a runner reached the first-down spot.”
Controversy erupted in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, when the officials marked Josh Allen’s 4th-and-inches QB sneak short of the first down:
The Chiefs' defense stops them on fourth down!
— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025
📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW
Other angles appear to show Allen crossing the first-down marker, but the officials upheld the ruling following a review. This immediately led to calls for an NFL rule change involving the use of technology instead of officials:
New angles with overlaid line show Josh Allen clearly picked up the first down against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship pic.twitter.com/aLMB791XIp
— TPS (@TotalProSports) January 28, 2025
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Instead of keeping the drive going with a chance to extend the lead, Allen and the Bills turned it over on downs. The Chiefs drove down the field for the go-ahead touchdown and never trailed again, pulling off a close 32-29 victory.
An NFL Rule Change That’s Long Overdue
The controversial calls in the AFC Championship Game, namely the turnover on downs ruling, led to countless accusations of the NFL refs “rigging” and “cheating” for Kansas City. If the NFL wants to silence the conspiracy theorists, they can start by implementing the electronic system for all spotting.
Officials have a tough job, yes. But asking them to mark the football when they’re watching from the sidelines isn’t exactly fair in this day and age when advanced technology can solve the issue for them.
