For years, the NFL has adopted guidelines primarily geared toward benefitting offenses. This offseason, the Detroit Lions have proposed an modification that would stage the enjoying area.
Per NFL Media, the Lions have pushed for a change in how defensive unlawful contact and holding penalties are assessed.
Below the NFL’s present guidelines, an unlawful contact or defensive holding penalty ends in a five-yard loss for the protection and an computerized first down for the offense.
Below Detroit’s proposal, offenses would not obtain an computerized first down following both penalty.
When providing a cause for the proposal, the Lions wrote, “Aggressive fairness. Present penalty enforcement is just too punitive for the protection.”
A number of guidelines designed to enhance participant security have made it tougher for defenders to do their jobs, from hits towards defenseless receivers to roughing the passer penalties. Final 12 months, the NFL banned hip-drop tackles, rising the issue stage for defensive gamers.
The league may lastly amend a rule favoring defenses by adopting Detroit’s proposal.
It is a cheap request. If a defender commits a holding penalty on a third-and-25, it makes extra sense for an offense to have one other down at third-and-20 as an alternative of a first-and-10.
If the NFL needs to stop defenses from exploiting the rule, it may make consecutive defensive holding or unlawful contact penalties an computerized first down.
The Lions aren’t merely excited about what’s finest for defenses out of the kindness of their hearts. They’ve an ulterior motive for wanting the rule amended. Per NFL Penalties, Detroit led the league in accepted defensive holding penalties (11) in 2024.
Nevertheless, simply because Detroit could be a major beneficiary of a rule change does not imply it needs to be dismissed. It would not harm the NFL to consider defenses for a change.
