The NFL finally has a virtual measurement system to gauge close first-down calls, as the new methodology was on full display during Thursday night’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.<\/p>\n
As the Detroit Lions<\/a> and Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> faced off in Canton, Ohio, the new virtual measurement system went to work to assess whether or not Detroit got a first down in the second quarter. The team indeed did gain the necessary yardage, as the new tech showed.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n This is such a better way for the league to figure out ball placements, even if the NFL chain gangs haven’t technically been “replaced.” They will remain in a “secondary capacity,” per NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n “During the 2025 season, the NFL will determine whether teams have made first downs by using Sony\u2019s Hawk-Eye system of six 8K cameras placed around every stadium, which will optically track the position of the ball,” NBC News’ Andrew Greif wrote in April.<\/p>\n “The chain gang, the nickname of the team of officials who walk onto the field in critical moments to measure whether the ball has gone 10 yards, will ‘remain on the field in a secondary capacity,’ the league said. But they will remain background players as the cameras judge the difference between where the ball is spotted and the line to gain.”<\/p>\n That’s pretty cool, and it’s great to see the new system successful in the preseason. We’ll see how this technology holds up as the 2025 NFL preseason continues into August.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n