Hello from the future. After more than 100 years of measuring first downs with two men and a chain, the NFL is stepping into the 21st century. Officially passing a proposal to measure close first downs electronically, the United Football League, as it often has, offered a preview of what that will look like.
During the league’s 2025 debut weekend, the UFL showed off its “TrU Line” technology to determine if the sticks should move.
As you can see, a computer image of the field, the ball, and the first down line appeared in the bottom-left corner of the screen. From there, the technology determined the ball was just shy of the first, setting up fourth-and-short. It’s so close that if that were the NFL last year, it’d be in “notecard territory.”
One important note of clarification. Watching the replay of the actual on-field action, the ball doesn’t appear to be that close to the marker. So, did the tech get it wrong?
No. The technology merely measures based on where the referee spots the football. If he spots it wrong, there’s nothing the tech can do to “fix” it. In theory, only a challenge or review could move the spot of the football.
Spotting the ball isn’t happening anytime soon. But this is progress. The “chain gang” will be moved into a backup role, still on the sidelines but only used if the technology fails.
This change is less about getting first down calls “correct” and more about getting it correct more quickly. Without the need for two men to amble out onto the field, set the chains, have the referee observe and signal, and have the chain gang get back to the sidelines. It won’t save much time, but it’ll add up and take advantage of technology integrated into every other major sport. The NFL is a slow-moving vessel, but this is one way to speed it up.
