NFL to Allow Replay Assistant to Review Roughing the Passer, Intentional Grounding Penalties

It appears that a sliver of sanity has entered the upper reaches of the NFL regarding roughing calls.

In a welcome rule change that will likely impact game outcomes, the NFL will allow the replay assistant to review plays involving roughing the passer and intentional grounding.

This is big: NFL Competition Committee Chairman Rich McKay told me the replay assistant will now be permitted to correct certain types of incorrect calls for roughing the passer and intentional grounding.

Must be purely objective (QB wasn’t hit in head, was out of pocket, etc.)

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 25, 2024

It is important to note that the replay official is not to determine roughing the passer based on what he thinks roughing the passer is. He still has to analyze and make the call based on NFL rules. However, this rule change could prove invaluable when the referee throws a flag for a blow to the quarterback’s head, and it turns out the quarterback wasn’t hit in the head.

Bad roughing calls were a weekly occurrence in the 2023 season and played a large part in the outcome of too many football games.

One of the most notorious roughing calls occurred during the Dolphins-Cowboys game on Christmas Eve. Dallas’ Micah Parsons was flagged for this hit on Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, which gave the Dolphins another chance to score.

Dolphins stay on field, 1st & goal, as Micah Parson called for roughing the passer on this hit of Tua.

Fox rules analyst Dean Blandino: "In the pocket, the defender has up until his second step to make forcible contact…. I just don't see a foul here."pic.twitter.com/YJ00P6xifh

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 24, 2023

Had the replay official seen that Parsons was well within his two-step window to hit Tagovailoa, he might have overruled the officiating crew, and Miami may not have scored on a crucial possession in a 22-20 game.

There are too many examples of horrific roughing calls from last season, so here are some more.

A 2 for 1 Chiefs combo meal: a soft roughing the passer and a missed holding on the same play #MIAvsKC pic.twitter.com/8TrG6iR1Qt

— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) January 14, 2024

Now, the rules for roughing the passer are also an issue. Having a replay assistant review the play won’t fix all of this. However, this is a crucial first step. Intentional grounding also became an issue in 2023, most notably when a blown call cost the Bengals a field goal in a 24-18 loss to Buffalo.