The NFL implemented new virtual measurement rules for first down this season.
They don't really accomplish a lot, and fans often find a way to criticize them, including in the opening round of the playoffs on Wild Card Weekend.
There were two virtual measurements during the Bills-Eagles game, and they brought out the attention of folks on social media.
The problem with the virtual measurement rules is that they don't actually help pick the spot of the football.
All they do is use cameras to tell whether the football reached a given line.
It's just the alternative to walking the chains out on the field.
It doesn't actually help spot the ball.
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Spotting the ball still is done by the eyes of two humans positioned a long way away along each sideline.
A virtual measurement off a wrong spot that needed to be challenged and manually checked is a pretty good example that the virtual measurement is useless
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 11, 2026
The NFL could think about improving the use of these cameras in the future.
There's always been talk about putting a chip into the football, too, that helps measure distances.
So far, though, all the technology does is limit the steps of the chain gang.
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