New technology has NFL fans talking

NFL football returns with the presentation of the traditional Hall of Fame game. The Chargers and Lions had the honor of kicking off the pre-game ball.

As is always the case, this game will not go down in history. It's an opportunity to pay tribute to the new inductees of the 2025 vintage. The Chargers were designated for this match-up with the induction of star tight end Antonio Gates. However, the duel did feature a milestone first in NFL history: the new technological measure for determining first downs was used during the presentation of the game. See the footage here:

Introducing the new virtual measurement system for first downs, which enables the NFL to accurately and efficiently measure the distance between the spotted ball and the line to be won.

–

NFL

Introducing the new virtual measurement system for first downs, which allows the NFL to accurately and efficiently measure the distance between the spotted ball and the line to gain. pic.twitter.com/QvlsSmWnSo

– NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2025

This is the very first time this new way of doing things has been used in an NFL game. Purists didn't really appreciate it..

A first season with this technology

For the NFL 2025 season, the league is ushering in a new era with the phasing out of traditional first-down measurement chains, adopting the Sony-developed Hawk-Eye system, based on a network of six 8K cameras installed in each of the league's 30 stadiums and international arenas. After each play, referees continue to manually place the ball. If the distance to the gain line is too close to judge by eye, Hawk-Eye springs into action to automatically determine whether the ball has crossed the required yards. The NFL justifies this transition as a logical step towards greater reliability, efficiency and transparency in officiating, while emphasizing the importance of keeping the human at the center of the process. Remember Josh Allen and the Bills, who would have loved to have had this technology for a precise sequence in the last American Conference final against the Chiefs…

This content was created with the help of AI.