Exciting NFL Updates: Proposed Overtime Changes and New First-Down Tracking Technology!

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL is thinking about changing its overtime rules in the regular season. The goal is to lessen the advantages for teams that win the coin toss.

Troy Vincent, a league executive, spoke about this at the NFL scouting combine. He mentioned that the competition committee agrees it’s time to look at the rules again. Stats show that since 2017, teams winning the coin toss have a 56.8% chance of winning in overtime. This is up compared to 55.4% from 2001 to 2011, before the league changed the rules.

Under current rules, both teams get a chance to have the ball in overtime unless one team scores a touchdown on the first possession. In the playoffs, the rules are different. Both teams get to possess the ball, even if the first team scores a touchdown. This change came after a controversial game in January 2022 where the Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

One idea on the table is to make the overtime rules the same for both regular and postseason games. Another suggestion includes expanding the overtime period to 15 minutes.

The NFL also plans to introduce a new virtual measuring system in 2025 to help determine first downs. This system won’t replace officials but will provide instant data on whether a first down was achieved. Kimberly Fields, the NFL’s senior vice president of football operations, stated that training for techs is ongoing to ensure smooth use of this technology in games.

There are also talks about expanding the use of replay assist to cover more fouls, although Vincent noted that there isn’t much interest in allowing video replay to actually throw flags. Currently, if officials miss a clear penalty like a face mask, replay assist can’t intervene to call it.

In 2024, replay assist helped with penalties for roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness among others. For 2025, the NFL may consider adding other fouls such as hitting a passer below the knee and face mask penalties to the list that can be reviewed.

Vincent shared that the league is looking to bring back excitement with onside kicks while also finalizing a new kickoff rule. Recent trials have made kickoffs more thrilling, increasing the number of returns. He mentioned that they might change the touchback spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line.

However, this rule change has made onside kicks tricky. Teams had a dismal success rate, achieving only 3 recoveries out of 50 attempts, the lowest since 2001. Vincent remarked that there’s a broad agreement on needing to make adjustments to this play.

While there hasn’t been much talk about a fourth-and-long option, the league could revisit that idea in the future. Another hot topic has been the “tush push” play that the Philadelphia Eagles excel at. The Green Bay Packers have called for it to be banned, citing safety concerns, but Vincent said the league hasn’t found any injuries related to that play in 2024.

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