Quarterbacks have always gotten the benefit of the doubt when it comes to how games are officiated in the NFL. But next season, that is set to change in a substantial way.
The most recent instance of this that was extremely evident came in the Divisional Round matchup last week between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans.
In the game, Mahomes attempted to slide on a rush attempt when two Texans players grazed him, which resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty. This ended up being significant, as the Chiefs would score on the play. Moving forward, that exact play will be reviewed by the NFL’s replay review policy.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the league is expected to expand the league’s replay review policy to allow quarterback slides to be subject to review.
“The belief around the league is that there’s no reason not to bring further objectivity and clarity to a play that fans in the stadium or at home can see,” wrote Schefter.
Had there been a chance to review the play last week, chances are there would have been no penalty called and things could have potentially played out differently in the game.
Either way, this new rule, which still has to pass when it is voted on at the league’s annual meeting this coming March, will certainly change how both the game is played and watched by fans at home.
Hopefully, the days of fans being upset about missed unnecessary roughness calls each and every game will be done moving forward thanks to this new proposed rule. At first glance, it sure seems like most fans are overly in favor of the change.
“Start it tomorrow,” one fan wrote on X.
Start it tomorrow. https://t.co/aaxYF0mB2O
— Jeff Facun (@Jeff_Facun) January 26, 2025
“Chiefs devil magic gone soon,” wrote another fan.
chiefs devil magic gone soon https://t.co/BIDGcdfSzl pic.twitter.com/POjqqxg2JF
— zHeat (@zHeattt) January 26, 2025
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.