Arrowhead Pride
Reviewing the rule changes for 2025 — and sharing the editors’ takes on the decisions.
The NFL has added or modified four rules — as approved by the owners from their annual spring meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. Changing a rule requires the approval of 75% of the owners, which equates to 24 of the 32.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, here are the approved rule changes for the 2025 NFL season:
John Dixon: I’m in favor of any method by which officials’ decisions can be improved. Still, I support human officials making the calls they see. So I think the league did the right thing by limiting this expansion to reviewing penalties that were called, rather than allowing new penalties to be determined by after-the-fact video review. Humans are playing the game, so humans should be the first layer of officiating. But in a world where fans are exposed to slow-motion replay of every call, replay review must exist.
Pete Sweeney: I think replay assist has been a terrific addition, and I think the owners’ decision to keep replay assist limited to objective official decisions is wise. When talking about replay, I think you always have to weigh getting it right with how much time is added to the viewing experience by doing so, and so far, replay assist has been swift — and even with this change, I would imagine that will continue.
John Dixon: I think this is a bridge too far. Nobody likes ties, so I’m fine with the fastest way to avoid most of them in the regular season — and a different way to avoid them altogether in the postseason. I understand the argument: allowing games to end with one of the teams being unable to possess the ball in overtime does seem unfair on its face. But both teams were given a full 60 minutes to win. During the regular season, the best approach is to get it settled — and get ready for the next game.
Pete Sweeney: Both teams touching the football in overtime should have existed long ago. However, the second part of Pelissero’s note still baffles me. The league is seemingly OK with random stretches in the schedule (such as the Chiefs playing three games in 11 days) regarding player rest and safety, but a line is drawn at five extra minutes in overtime? In my opinion, shut off the game clock entirely, as we see in college. Nothing is worse than spending three-plus hours to watch a game end in a tie.
