During the preseason, the NFL experimented with a high-tech system to measure first downs, but that system will be abandoned in favor of traditional series during the regular season.
The NFL won’t use the Hawk-Eye computer vision system in the regular season this year but may try it in 2025, according to Mark Maskey of Washington Post.
Although Hawk-Eye was a huge innovation in tennis, used to determine whether the ball was in or out, it did not work well during the pre-season to determine first down. It was more popular Lions vs Giants pre-season game postponed When the high-tech system took much longer than traditional chains to measure a game that wasn’t even close to a first down.
In tennis, it’s easy for Hawk-Eye to use camera angles that give a clear view of the ball relative to the line. In football, it’s much more difficult: Sometimes players block the cameras’ view of the ball. Sometimes there’s a clear view of the ball but it’s not possible to tell whether the ball carrier’s knee dropped before the ball crossed the line for a goal. And unlike tennis, the lead line isn’t actually on the court, so it’s not always clear at what point the ball crossed the line.
This technology may work in the NFL one day, but that day won’t be in 2024.
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