Coaches may no longer have the option to throw a red challenge flag after the other team scores a touchdown, as the NFL is considering a proposal to take instant replay on scoring plays out of the hands of the coaches, and have the replay assistant review all scoring plays.
The NFL’s Competition Committee revealed today that it is recommending that NFL owners adopt a change in instant replay, so that any scoring play -- touchdown, field goal, extra point or safety -- is automatically reviewed upstairs by the replay assistant. If the replay assistant thinks the call on the field was questionable, he will signal to the referee to review the score.
So all scoring plays would be treated the same way that the last two minutes of the game are treated, with respect to instant replay: Reviews by the replay assistant only, and no challenges.
The Competition Committee is also proposing elimination of the third challenge, which coaches are allowed to use only if they win their first two challenges. The Competition Committee believes that the third challenge wasn’t successfully used often enough to make it worth the times it delayed the game.