NFL revises OT rule for regular season, expands replay assist

Rob Maaddi · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 11:48 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The aboriginal of the tush propulsion won't beryllium decided Tuesday, a idiosyncratic with cognition of the determination told The Associated Press.

NFL squad owners had been acceptable to ballot connected Green Bay's connection to prohibition the play that's helped the Philadelphia Eagles triumph 1 Super Bowl and scope another, but the connection was tabled until May.

Team owners approved modifying the kickoff rule, expanding replay assistance and revising overtime rules, according to the idiosyncratic who spoke to the AP connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the league meetings were ongoing.

The determination to postpone the tush propulsion means the statement volition proceed arsenic the league seeks much accusation astir the information of the play. Proponents of the play and those who reason it presented beardown arguments portion the league's aesculapian experts expressed information concerns.

As for changes that did walk …

• Regular-season overtime rules present volition lucifer those successful the playoffs and some teams volition person a accidental to get a possession adjacent if the offence scores a touchdown connected the opening drive. The connection was amended to marque overtime 10 minutes, not 15 minutes.
• Owners besides approved a connection from the NFL Competition Committee to let replay assistance to consult on-field officials to overrule nonsubjective calls specified arsenic facemask penalties, whether determination was forcible interaction to the caput oregon cervix area, horse-collar tackles oregon tripping if determination was "clear and obvious" grounds that a foul didn't occur.
• Replay would besides beryllium capable to overturn a roughing the kicker oregon moving into the kicker punishment if video replay showed the defender contacted the ball.
• Replay assistance could lone hitch retired a foul if it was incorrectly called but it volition not beryllium utilized to propulsion a emblem if a punishment wasn't called.
• The dynamic kickoff regularisation becomes permanent, with touchbacks moving to the 35-yard enactment alternatively of the 30.

Even though the league has said determination haven't been immoderate injuries reported arsenic a effect of the tush push, the imaginable hazard progressive successful Philadelphia's mentation of the backmost sneak has sparked aggravated discussions.

The Packers, who mislaid to the Eagles successful a wild-card playoff game, besides cited gait of play arsenic a crushed to see eliminating the play. Rams manager Sean McVay is against the tush propulsion but said Tuesday greeting he'd beryllium amazed if it gets banned this week. Los Angeles besides mislaid to Philadelphia successful the playoffs.

McDermott acrophobic astir 'health and information of players'

Bills caput manager Sean McDermott is starring the propulsion to get escaped of it, adjacent though Buffalo utilized it much than immoderate squad different than the Eagles.

It takes 24 of 32 votes to o.k. regularisation changes.

"I consciousness wherever I'm astir acrophobic is, adjacent though determination is not important information retired determination to this point, my biggest interest is the wellness and information of the players, archetypal and foremost," McDermott said Monday. "It's 2 things. It's force, added force, No. 1, and past the posture of the players, being asked to execute that benignant of play, that's wherever my interest comes in. …

"I'm not a doctor. I'm not going to get excessively heavy into that concern there, successful presumption of however overmuch data, however overmuch sample. I don't deliberation that's truly ever the champion mode to go. There is different information retired determination that suggests erstwhile you're successful a posture similar we're talking about, that tin pb to superior injury. I deliberation being liable and proactive successful that respect is the close mode to go."

The Eagles began utilizing the play successful short-yardage situations successful 2022. Two oregon 3 players enactment up down backmost Jalen Hurts and propulsion him forward. Several different teams including the Bills began utilizing it, but nary squad has matched Philadelphia's occurrence rate.

"Tough play to halt but past you're listening to that and the aesculapian broadside and you astir apt could spell either mode with it," said Chiefs caput manager Andy Reid, whose squad mislaid 40-22 to the Eagles successful the Super Bowl. "But I would accidental if it's putting a subordinate successful a atrocious position, past you astir apt person to bash thing astir it. But if it's not, it's a heck of a play."