Current:Home > StocksNFL rule changes for 2023: Here's what they are and what they mean -CoinMarket
NFL rule changes for 2023: Here's what they are and what they mean
View
Date:2025-04-25 23:20:47
The NFL, through its competition committee, assesses the league's playing rules each offseason and collects feedback from players, coaches and executives for possible changes.
The league classifies adjustments in two ways: actual changes to the rulebook and points of clarification, which essentially highlight emphases the NFL wants its officials to prioritize during games. Players and coaches, therefore, must tweak the way they play and coach in order to comply with the adjustments. For football fans, there's an adjustment, too, in understanding the strategy behind certain decisions.
NFL:Welcome to the USA TODAY Survivor Pool game
The 2023 season is no different. The league adopted two rules changes and a pair of points of clarification. Here's an explanation of what they are.
Instant replay reversal play clock
This is classified as a rule change, though it is a minor one that may go largely unnoticed. Starting in 2023, when a replay review inside of the two-minute warning of each half results in a reversal, the play clock will reset to 40 seconds, as opposed to the 25 from previous seasons. The only exception is when there is a penalty or infraction that results in a 10-second runoff, in which case the play clock will reset to 30 seconds, to comply with the enforcement of the penalty.
PLAY TO WIN $10K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!
The last tweak to this rule is that, inside of the two-minute warnings, any replay reversal that results in the play going from one with a stopped clock to one with a running clock will prompt a 10-second runoff, at which point a team can call a timeout to stop the clock.
Fourth-down conversions
This is another rule change, and an interesting one. Essentially, the NFL is treating all failed fourth-down conversions as turnovers. And since all turnovers like lost fumbles and interceptions trigger an automatic booth review, when an offensive team attempts a fourth-down conversion but fails, the coach will not be allowed to challenge the failed attempt because officials in the booth will examine the play by default.
Successful fourth-down conversions, because they are not considered turnovers, will still require a head coaching challenge, provided they do not occur inside of the two-minute warning or overtime.
Use of helmet
This is a point of clarification to the use of helmet rule, which was officially adopted in 2018. The rule stipulates that lowering the head to initiate contact and initiating contact with the helmet to any part of an opponent's body will result in a foul. This rule applies to both offensive and defensive players.
The point of clarification that was made modified the rule and prevents players from using "any part of his helmet or face mask to butt or make forcible contact" to an opposing player's head or neck area.
Beginning in 2023, the rule was modified to prevent a player from using "any part of his helmet or face mask to butt or make forcible contact" to an opponent’s head or neck area.
Tripping
Another point of clarification, tripping was always a penalty but it will now result in a 15-yard personal foul. A tripping infraction will also be subject to further discipline (such as fines), whether it is called by officials or not.
The league defines tripping as intentionally using the leg or foot to obstruct any opposing player.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Financier buys Jeffrey Epstein's private islands, with plans to create a resort
- MTV News shut down as Paramount Global cuts 25% of its staff
- In ‘Silent Spring,’ Rachel Carson Described a Fictional, Bucolic Hamlet, Much Like Her Hometown. Now, There’s a Plastics Plant Under Construction 30 Miles Away
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Warming Trends: Carbon-Neutral Concrete, Climate-Altered Menus and Olympic Skiing in Vanuatu
- SVB, now First Republic: How it all started
- How Is the Jet Stream Connected to Simultaneous Heat Waves Across the Globe?
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- What has been driving inflation? Economists' thinking may have changed
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
- The racial work gap for financial advisors
- Is Burying Power Lines Fire-Prevention Magic, or Magical Thinking?
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- As some families learn the hard way, dementia can take a toll on financial health
- The banking system that loaned billions to SVB and First Republic
- Inflation stayed high last month, compounding the challenges facing the U.S. economy
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
How to fight a squatting goat
Pregnant Lindsay Lohan Shares New Selfie as She Celebrates Her 37th Birthday
An African American Community in Florida Blocked Two Proposed Solar Farms. Then the Florida Legislature Stepped In.
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
In An Unusual Step, a Top Medical Journal Weighs in on Climate Change
In An Unusual Step, a Top Medical Journal Weighs in on Climate Change
Maryland and Baltimore Agree to Continue State Supervision of the Deeply Troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant