The NFL experimented with a high-tech system for counting first downs during the preseason, but that system will be shelved for the regular season in favor of the old-fashioned chain method.
According to The Washington Post's Mark Musk, the NFL won't use the Hawk-Eye computer vision system during this year's regular season, but could give it a try in 2025.
While Hawk-Eye has been a great innovation in tennis, used to determine if the ball was inbounds or outbounds, it hasn't been much use in determining first downs during the preseason, most notably during a Lions-Giants preseason game when the high-tech system took much longer than a traditional chain to time a play that was not close to a first down, causing a delay in play.
In tennis, it's easy for Hawk-Eye to employ a camera angle that doesn't block the ball against the line. But in football, it's much harder. A player can block the camera's view of the ball. You might see the ball clearly, but not know if the ball carrier's knee was down before the ball crossed the line to score. Unlike tennis, the scoring lines aren't actually on the field, so it's not always clear at what point the ball crossed the line.
The technology could one day be available in the NFL, but that day won't be until 2024.
