Goodbye, chain gang. Hello, technology.
The NFL will make a 21st century approach to its first down measurement system for the 2025 season, getting rid of the chain gang and instead going with a technology tracking system. The news was confirmed by USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell.
Starting in the upcoming season, the NFL will use Hawk-Eye virtual measurement to determine the line to gain and it will be the primary method for measurements. The chain gang, which has been used for practically the entire lifetime of football, will still be on the sidelines, but will be used as a secondary method to determine the distance.
Now, instead of bringing out the chains, the league will go with a ‘virtual measurement.’ The system works with cameras inside the stadium that track players, officials and the ball. After the ball is spotted, the system notifies officials if a first down was achieved.
The Hawk-Eye system received ‘extensive testing’ in 2024, according to Kimberly Fields, NFL senior vice president of football operations. The Associated Press reported in July it would be tested during the 2024 preseason. If there were issues with the system, the league could get rid of it, but for now, the league feels comfortable using it moving forward.
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‘If it’s not improving the game, making it more efficient, we’re not going to do it. We will do nothing that hurts the integrity of the game,’ said Fields.
The move has been widely desired by NFL fans, who have mostly felt the chain gang was an outdated system that couldn’t give the most accurate measurements for down distance or determining whether a team picked up a first down.
Without the technology, there have been some controversial calls. A prime example happened in the 2024 playoffs. In the AFC championship, the Buffalo Bills were leading the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 in the fourth quarter when they decided to go for it on fourth down in the opponent’s territory. Quarterback Josh Allen attempted a sneak, and even though some camera angles indicated he might have crossed the first down marker, it wasn’t definitive and officials ruled he didn’t reach the line to gain a first down. Kansas City would get the ball, score a touchdown and end up winning the game.
‘I am,” he said. “Especially if we can, like, more efficiently mark it. And then the game keeps going and we keep rocking. Sometimes, you’re on that drive and you want to keep going, moving the ball. So, having ways to do that … can you do in a big pile on a quarterback sneak? Probably not. But there’s other ways you can, to spot it when it’s close. Can you identify it and work quickly? I’m down for that.’
(This story was updated with new information.)