Adam Schefter reveals latest on potential NFL rule change after Bills, Chiefs first down controversy

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the NFL has certainly still been looking into the future of how they mark the football moving forward.

Schefter spoke about that while on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Monday. Rather than saying much himself to start, though, he noted that it’s very likely to be a question asked of the commissioner later today when he speaks to the media ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

“Well, what I would say is, first of all, Roger Goodell is scheduled to have his annual state of the union this afternoon and I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t one of the questions that came up during the press conference,” said Schefter. “I’m sure somebody, maybe from Buffalo, is going to ask him that question about whether or not the league has made advancements with the chip in the football.”

This comes a week after the AFC Championship where a ruling of a non-first down came into question. Just two minutes into the fourth quarter, Josh Allen ran a quarterback sneak that would’ve given them a crucial next set of downs but, instead, the officials said he did not get the needed inches on fourth down. With that, Kansas City got the football, scored a touchdown to take the lead, and went on to win at 32-29.

This isn’t an instance where the league is looking into a change only because of this game. It’s something that they experimented with back in the preseason and are continuing to consider in whatever way they can, including a more reliable method with the chip in a football.

“They’ve experimented with this before. I would imagine, if they have the technology, they’re going to move forward in a direction where they can lean on it. They’re looking for any way to improve these kinds of things and the chain gang is something that was operating, seemingly, a hundred years ago,” said Schefter. “If there was a chip in a football that can give you better reading then that would be great but I still think there are issues with that that the league is trying to get through. There’s no sure-fire solution. Even if there were a chip in a football, it doesn’t ensure that that football would’ve been properly marked, whether it was or wasn’t a first down in the AFC Championship Game.”

There is no solution for this outdated problem yet. Still, the NFL is still examining everything in hopes of having one in some season soon.

“The league absolutely has been looking at this,” said Schefter. “It would love for the technology to be developed. It would love to be able to use it. And, if it makes sense, it certainly will.