Proposed Rule Change Could Have Altered Chiefs' Super Bowl Fate

Halfway through a scoreless first quarter in Super Bowl LIX, Philadelphia faced third-and-5 from the Chiefs’ 42-yard line. Jalen Hurts sailed a pass over Dallas Goedert but the deep official flagged Trent McDuffie for unnecessary roughness.

It was a critical call, awarding the Eagles 15 yards and a first down. Most observers thought the contact was incidental, including FOX color analyst Tom Brady. The NFL seemed to agree with Brady a week later when McDuffie’s name did not appear on the weekly list of fines.

Had the incompletion stood, Nick Sirianni would’ve had to either punt or send out Jake Elliott for a 60-yard field goal. Instead, three plays later Jalen Hurts punched in a Tush Push touchdown for the game’s first points.

Early next week, the NFL’s competition committee will meet with owners in Palm Beach, Fla., to discuss a proposal that may have overturned the controversial call on McDuffie. The proposal would give more power to replay officials upstairs and in New York, allowing them to advise on-field crews with regard to “specific, objective aspects of a play and/or address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present."

Should the measure pass, officials could pick up flags such as the one on McDuffie as long as “clear and obvious video evidence exists.” The scope of the calls would include defenseless players, facemasks, horse-collar tackles, tripping and roughing or running into kicker.

Ironically, the Chiefs also stood to benefit from another potential rule change, banning the Tush Push that put Philadelphia on the scoreboard in Kansas City’s Super Bowl loss. Green Bay has proposed outlawing the play, another item on the agenda at next week’s league meetings.

Earlier this month, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo revealed that he had installed a few wrinkles to attempt to stop it. However, other than that first Eagles touchdown, the Super Bowl didn’t present another opportunity to unveil those schemes – which Spagnuolo obviously chose not to detail.

But assuming it continues to be legal, Spagnuolo knows he’ll see it more and more, not just from Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen. That’s why he’s spoken to rugby coaches to collect information on the play, which resembles a scrum.

“I don't know if getting however many pounds behind somebody and pushing is good for football or not,” Spagnuolo said on the Anthony Gargano Show. “I'll let the competition committee decide that, but listen … if it's in football, you got to find a way to defend it.”

Another proposed rule change is moving the touchback from the 30-yard line to the 35 on kickoffs.

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