Here’s how NFL’s Hawk-Eye technology for ball placement will work — and look in Chiefs games
The NFL didn’t say it outright, but the league is making a change in response to the Chiefs’ AFC Championship Game victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Following the Chiefs’ 32-29 win, there was an outcry about Buffalo’s failed quarterback sneak on a fourth-and-1 play. Calls were made for the NFL to embrace technology for spotting the ball, and lo and behold that’s what is coming for the 2025 season.
“Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology will be used by the NFL as the primary method for measuring the line to gain, beginning with the 2025 season, the league announced,” NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero wrote Tuesday on X.
“The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.”
How it will work
According to Hawk-Eye Innovations, the system will be in use in all 30 NFL stadiums and in international stadiums when NFL games are held. The technology will involve six 8K cameras that use optical tracking when determining where the ball should be spotted (or if a touchdown was achieved).
The system is operated from the NFL’s Art McNally GameDay Central Officiating Center (AMGC) in New York and is integrated with the League’s existing replay system, that Hawk-Eye release said.
What fans can expect
Once the ball is spotted via the Hawk-Eye technology, the information will be given to the game officials. A virtual look at the measurement will be produced for fans watching in a stadium or on television.
Hawk-Eye Innovations said the process should take roughly 30 seconds, which the company says will be 40 seconds quicker than the measurement from the chain crew.
This technology was in use during select preseason NFL games last summer.
Here is an example of what fans can expect to see in the upcoming season.
“The NFL and Sony are integrating world-class on field officiating with state-of-the-art technology to advance football excellence,” NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said in a news release from Hawk-Eye. “Combining the art of officiating with Sony’s trusted Hawk-Eye system is a healthy recipe for success in our commitment to raising the standards of accuracy, consistency and efficiency. Replay technology and data driven insights from Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations aid us in advancing our efforts toward the future of football.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
