The Bears' special teams coach says the Eagles are violating the intent of the kickoff rule by using a holder. Philadelphia used a holder last week to angle the ball and change its trajectory, making it harder for return…
#Rules & Officiating
This week in Rules & Officiating · updated Sun Sep 20 2026
This week in rules and officiating, officiating accuracy and rule interpretation took center stage. Howard Webb admitted VAR officials failed to check Enzo Fernandez's offside position during the Manchester derby, leading to those officials being stood down until after the international break. Meanwhile, the NFL's explanation for a controversial non-fumble call in the Lions-Saints game traced back to a 2022 rule change redefining when a forward pass begins, with critics arguing the revised wording makes it nearly impossible for a quarterback to fumble once a throwing motion starts. Separately, major U.S. leagues jointly requested stricter betting regulations, including permanent bans and a national exclusion list, to curb bettor harassment, though critics noted the leagues' heavy embrace of gambling partnerships.
AI-written weekly briefing drawn from this topic's recent stories.
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Bears coach questions Eagles' kickoff holder tactic
Bud Light embraces NFL beer celebration penalties
Bud Light is leaning into the NFL fines that have been issued for beer-related celebrations. The league office has taken criticism for penalizing those celebrations.
Cowboys' Ferguson fined for beer-miming celebration
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson has been fined by the NFL for a celebration that mimicked drinking a beer. The league has been issuing fines for such celebrations, with other players also penalized recently.
Podcast season opener tackles replay philosophy and officiating quirks
The third season premiere of the 1st & 25 podcast discusses the retirement of Steve Shaw and philosophical questions about replay usage. The host also jokes about drawing a taunting penalty. Other topics include a false …
NFL directs officials to deliberate before calling penalties
Vice president of officiating Ramon George has instructed officials to slow down and assess whether a foul affected the play before throwing a flag. The guidance applies to holding and illegal blocks but not to safety or…
Live updates track officiating calls during Week 2 Sunday games
The liveblog provided real-time commentary on officiating decisions throughout Sunday's Week 2 slate. It also fielded reader questions, including a query about a potential down-by-contact review in the Eagles-Titans game…
Photo gallery showcases NFL officials during Week 2 action
A collection of images from team photographers and Getty Images highlights officials working Week 2 games. The gallery features numerous crew members across multiple matchups, offering a visual look at their on-field dut…
NFL assigns crews for Week 3, including Thursday night in Green Bay
Shawn Smith will officiate the Falcons-Packers game at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. John Hussey's crew is set for the Ravens-Cowboys matchup in Rio de Janeiro, while Craig Wrolstad has the week off. The full slate of…
Overtime Fumble Reversal Gives Colts New Life in Chiefs Thriller
In a Week 2 Sunday night matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs edged the Indianapolis Colts 33-30 on a Harrison Butker overtime field goal. A pivotal review overturned an apparent fumble recovery by Kansas City, ruling Colts r…
Gronkowski Upset Over Patriots Issuing His No. 87 Without Consultation
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski expressed displeasure that the team gave his jersey number 87 to a new player without asking him. He said he was not consulted about the decision. The story highlights the signifi…
Major sports leagues seek stricter betting regulations to curb harassment
The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS have jointly asked state officials to implement measures against bettors who harass players, coaches, and officials. Their proposals include permanent betting bans and a national exclusion…
Webb admits VAR missed offside in Manchester derby
Howard Webb confirmed that VAR officials failed to check whether Enzo Fernandez was offside during the Manchester derby. The review focused solely on Haaland's position, missing Fernandez's interference. Webb said the of…
Daily football trivia challenges test fans' knowledge
BBC Sport presents three interactive football quizzes, including Who Am I?, Five in Five, and Brainteaser, with clues and scoring systems. The quizzes are designed to test players' knowledge and are updated daily. Additi…
NFL rule change on throwing motion explains controversial Goff non-fumble call
A disputed call in the Detroit Lions' overtime win over the New Orleans Saints has been traced to a 2022 rulebook change that redefines when a forward pass begins. The league's explanation stated that Jared Goff had star…
NFL's Rare Final Scores: Scorigami Tracker for the 2026 Season
Through the 2025 season, the NFL had seen 1,095 unique final scores, and Week 1 of 2026 already added two more, bringing the total to 1,097. Since 2000, the league has averaged about seven Scorigami games per season, wit…
NFL approves five rule changes: officiating corrections and anytime onside kicks
The Competition Committee's five approved changes include allowing league personnel to fix clear officiating mistakes during potential work stoppages and to consult with on-field officials on player disqualifications for…
2026 NFL kickoff: Onside kicks allowed anytime, one rule change scrapped
Only four of five approved playing rules changes take effect in 2026, as the fifth—allowing the league to correct officiating errors during a work stoppage—became moot after a new CBA was signed. The kicking team can now…
NFL 2026: Replay officials can eject players, coaches delegate challenge flags
Replay officials in New York now have the power to disqualify players for flagrant football or non-football acts and enforce penalties even without an on-field flag. Head coaches may designate sideline staff to throw cha…
2026 NFL rulebook: replay authority expands, umpire moves to goal line
The league's 2026 changes prioritize officiating improvements, including new practice squads for referees and performance-based pay under the latest CBA. Replay officials can now call flagrant and non-football acts, whil…
NFL officiating shifts: replay flags, kickoff positioning, and block detection in focus
The 2026 NFL season introduces replay officials empowered to flag missed flagrant fouls and non-football acts. Kickoff crews will now station four officials deep with receivers, and the dynamic kickoff formation sees ref…
Referee panel says Alisson's challenge on Williams was not a penalty
A review panel has determined that the penalty awarded against Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson in the match against Nottingham Forest was incorrect. The decision has sparked debate over officiating standards.
Brady defends dual broadcaster and owner role
Tom Brady has declined to apologize for his concurrent roles as a Fox broadcaster and part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, despite criticism over potential conflicts. He maintains that he can manage both responsibilities…
Two more newspapers file copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft
The Seattle Times and Newsday have sued OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging unauthorized use of their journalism to train AI models. The lawsuit claims AI could 'destroy' the journalism industry and describes the technology a…
Writers dispute publisher claims on AI copyright settlement payments
Authors are receiving notices that publishers are claiming portions of the $1.5 billion Anthropic settlement, sometimes for works whose rights have reverted or for more than the agreed 50% share. The Authors Guild CEO at…
AT&T Offers Galaxy S26 FE at $2.43 Monthly for New Online Lines
AT&T's new promotion prices the Galaxy S26 FE at $2.43 per month for customers who add a line and order online. The deal requires a qualifying plan and 36-month installment agreement, with no trade-in needed. Other optio…
Preventing Data Corruption with Proactive Quality Checks
Data errors can enter at any stage, from missing fields to duplicates. Implementing quality checks at each step prevents bad data from spreading. Fast detection saves time and resources.
Common Reasons Software Estimates Go Wrong
Software estimation often fails because requirements are unclear and tasks are too large to assess accurately. Breaking features into smaller pieces and using techniques like planning poker can improve reliability. Keepi…
How AI Turns Unstructured Documents into Structured Data
AI document processing combines OCR, classification, extraction, and validation to convert varied document formats into usable information. This reduces manual data entry and errors while directing documents to appropria…
Court Refuses to Reconsider Religious Exemption Case Over Vaccine Mandate
The Supreme Court denied a rehearing request from New York healthcare workers who lost their jobs after refusing COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds. The court had previously declined to review the case, with Justi…
Justices Set December Arguments on Assault Weapons Bans and Other Cases
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 2 in challenges to bans on AR-15s and other semiautomatic rifles from Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut. The December calendar also includes cases on parental r…
Supreme Court Temporarily Allows Favorable Ad Rates for Political Parties
The Supreme Court paused a lower court ruling that limited preferential advertising rates to candidates only, allowing political parties and joint fundraising committees to receive the rates for now. Justice Jackson diss…