NFL Will Reportedly Not Bring Back Pass Interference Replay in 2020
By Liam McKeone
The NFL instituted its pass interference replay policy after the debacle that was the 2018 NFC Championship Game. It appears it will be gone after only one season, as NFL Network's Judy Battista reports there's very little chance PI replay will return for the 2020 season.
Competition Committee continues to discuss rules ahead of still-on-schedule meeting at end of May, when votes would take place. PI replay almost certainly will NOT be extended, according to one person familiar with conversations.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) April 6, 2020
Remember: in end-of-season survey of teams, they were asked about making PI replay review permanent or extending for one more year and overwhelmingly teams were against either option.
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) April 6, 2020
The PI replay rule was cause for more frustration than vindication for NFL coaches in 2019. Many a coach wasted one of his valuable challenges on a pass interference call that could have gone either way and was ultimately not overturned. From an outside perspective, though, the problem seemed to lie more in the referees' preference to sticking with whatever the call was on the field than the system itself.
Giving up on this as quickly as the league apparently is doesn't really seem like the right move. It was as novel for the officials as it was for each team's coaching staff. An adjustment period should have been expected, and I'm of the opinion the more that can be reviewed, the higher likelihood the call will ultimately be right. No new system will ensure 100 percent accuracy, but being able to take a second look at something as difficult to call in real time as pass interference seemed a step in the right direction.
Clearly NFL teams do not agree, even if the final vote won't come until May. We'll see what alternative paths they plan to take in order to keep everyone happy, or as close to it as possible.