NFL owners passed some new rule changes for the league last week at the annual owners’ meetings, and more change could be on the way this year.
Ahead of the owners’ meetings, the Green Bay Packers proposed a ban on the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature play, the tush push, and the Detroit Lions proposed a new approach to seeding playoff teams.
Owners didn’t pass either of those proposals last week, but Front Office Sports reported that the NFL could revisit them in May at the league meetings.
Here is what you need to know about the two potential rule changes.
Why do NFL teams want to ban the tush push?
One of the reasons for banning the tush push is player safety.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has cited that as a concern, per Front Office Sports, which reported that the commissioner is in favor of both the Packers’ and Lions’ proposals.
“I think there are safety issues that are being considered,” Goodell said. “We have very little data from it, but it’s beyond data. There’s also the mechanism of the injury that we study, that type of thing, that leads us to show the risk involved with a particular play or a particular tackle.”
Zero injuries occurred from the play last year, according to Front Office Sports.
Another reason coaches and owners have cited for banning the tush push is the play itself.
“I don’t think it’s a great football play,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said at the owners meeting, per ESPN. “It’s more of a rugby play.”
In a February mailbag column, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy shared his disdain for the play.
“I am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it,” he wrote.
Murphy wants the NFL to “prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play.”
He added, “There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak.”
The case for changing playoff seeding
Under the Lions’ rule proposal, if wild card teams had a better regular season record than division winners, they’d be given a higher seed, according to NFL.com.
In the case of a tie, the division winner would be given the higher seed.
“There’s great data to show that we should really look at some form of this,” Goodell said, per Front Office Sports.
The current playoff seeding rules led to these seeds in the NFC:
- Lions
- Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Minnesota Vikings
- Washington Commanders
- Green Bay Packers
The Lions’ proposal would have changed the seeding to the following, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and NFL Research:
- Lions
- Eagles
- Vikings
- Commanders
- Packers
- Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Rams
It remains to be seen if either of these rules will be passed this year.
The votes will have to wait until at least May 20, when the NFL meets for its spring meeting in Minnesota.
Twenty-four of the 32 owners must vote in favor of the rule to pass.