The Lions want to erase the free first down via defensive holding and they're right
The headline when it comes to the three new rules NFL teams have proposed for the 2025 season belongs to the Green Bay Packers. The biggest change to the game, however, may come from their division rival -- the Detroit Lions.
The Packers, coming off a season bookended by losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, are looking to ban the Tush Push rugby-style play Philadelphia has turned into an art form the last three seasons. But the Lions have a proposal that could make the game significantly more fair for defenses across the league.
They want to take away the automatic first down that comes with defensive holding.
It's a suggestion aimed at eliminating bailout calls that offer offenses a free set of downs on third and long after running a play with little hope of getting to the sticks. A defensive hold -- or illegal contact -- would still be a five-yard penalty. Under Detroit's recommendation, it wouldn't mean starting over with first-and-10.
That means James Bradberry's still-illegal grab of JuJu Smith-Schuster at the end of Super Bowl 57 wouldn't have effectively clinched the game but instead turned third-and-eight into third-and-three to give Patrick Mahomes a new, different opportunity to set up a championship-winning field goal.
The intent of the free first down has its logic. Impeding a wideout before he can finish his route means erasing a play that could have ended up with a first down or touchdown. In that case, the rulebook shrugs, believes in an offense's potential and gives it that first down anyway. Eliminating the fresh set of downs that comes with a hold could result in more defensive backs seeing they're beaten and opting to take a five-yard penalty rather than risk a game-breaking play on their watch.
But it would also prevent offenses from profiting on a penalty away from the ball. A defensive hold on third and long could extend a drive thanks to a violation that happened to a player either way down his quarterback's priority list or nowhere near the first down marker. Defenses might start grabbing on third-and-long to avoid a deep ball letdown, but opposing offenses still get the yardage associated with the penalty and a chance to replay the down. How many defensive coordinators are going to green light a situation that turns third-and-14 (which has roughly a 21 percent conversion rate) into third-and-nine (converted nearly twice as often)?
The downside is the penalty would put more pressure on officials to draw the line between what's a hold and what is pass interference. A hold can take place anywhere downfield before the ball is thrown. Once it's in the air, that grabbing becomes interference -- and a spot foul with a free first down compared to the five yards a hold grants. Changing the rule means a hold is significantly less costly, creating more room for error in a game that can be swung by one bad call.
Would defensive holding reform mean adding a wrinkle to replay that allows officials to precisely determine when a foul occurred and whether or not the ball had left the quarterback's hand? Would it mean adding more time to a game that's been trying to speed up its running time? Both would be significant considerations and the reasons why we may not see this proposal approved by a three-quarters majority at the owner's meeting.
But eliminating a rule that deems a five-yard penalty worthy of a first down no matter what an offense was facing would help make things more equitable for NFL defenses. It would give officials fewer opportunities to impact the outcome of the game. Even if the Lions' proposal fails in 2025, it should be brought back up each spring. Defensive backs across the league will thank them.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Lions want to erase free first downs for defensive holding and they're right
Topics
-
Recap of Lions major offseason losses after first week of free agency
Recapping the Detroit Lions losses from the 1st week of free agencyYahoo Sports - 3d -
Watch live: New England manager Thomas Tuchel holds press conference after announcing first Three Lions squad
Watch live as new England manager Thomas Tuchel holds a press conference on Friday (14 March) after announcing his first Three Lions squad for World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Lions agree to deal with free-agent CB D.J. Reed after coming up short in playoffs
The Lions are reshuffling the defense after a playoff loss.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 10 -
Lions' mock draft roundup after first wave of free agency
Lions mock draft roundup: What experts are projecting Detroit to do after the first wave of free agency.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Lions mock draft 4.0: Projections after the first wave of free agency
Updating the Lions projections for the 2025 NFL Draft following the first wave of free agencyYahoo Sports - 3d -
NFL owners to consider Detroit Lions proposal to change seeding in playoffs
Under the Lions' proposal, wild-card teams could have first-round home playoff games instead of division champs.Yahoo Sports - 4h -
Lions formally submit 3 NFL rule changes, including a big change in defensive penalties
The Lions formally submit 3 rule changes to the NFL for a vote, including a big change to defensive penalties than can help Detroit right awayYahoo Sports - 4h -
Jordan plays down Lions talk as he relishes first Six Nations with Scotland
Tom Jordan says he has paid no attention to people tipping him as a possible bolter for Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad, and says playing Six Nations rugby for Scotland was something ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Melissa pulls away from Greenville Lions in District 9-5A baseball
After losing 2-0 to Melissa in the first game of the two-game District 9-5A baseball series, the Greenville Lions had hopes of winning the rematch. Their hopes looked promising when they jumped out ...Yahoo Sports - 19h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Dolphins adding 2-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, per report
The Dolphins are adding a former Chiefs second-round pick who played a key role in two of their Super Bowl runs.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Tokyo series recap: Dodgers dominate but are there concerns? + AL Central preview | Baseball Bar-B-Cast
In a very special edition of the Bar-B-Cast, Jordan Shusterman joins Jake Mintz in person in the Yahoo NYC studio to record the pod. The two recap the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs and ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Marcus Morris on Daryl Morey: I just don't trust him...he flips too many players in and out, he's trying to outsmart the game too much
Appearing on the latest episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show podcast, vYahoo Sports - 11m -
Scheierman's Celtics teammates weren't letting his big game pass without a celebration
In Scheierman's first-ever walk-off interview with the iconic Jackie MacMullan, the Celtics rookie shooting guard got the usual mid-interview shower.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
A look at injuries that could shape the NCAA Tournament and the brackets of millions of Americans
The chances of Houston cutting down the nets at the Final Four in a few weeks could depend on the uncertain status of J'Wan Roberts' ailing right ankle. The same can be said for fellow No. 1 seed ...Yahoo Sports - 12m
More in Sports
-
Dolphins adding 2-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, per report
The Dolphins are adding a former Chiefs second-round pick who played a key role in two of their Super Bowl runs.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Tokyo series recap: Dodgers dominate but are there concerns? + AL Central preview | Baseball Bar-B-Cast
In a very special edition of the Bar-B-Cast, Jordan Shusterman joins Jake Mintz in person in the Yahoo NYC studio to record the pod. The two recap the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs and ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Marcus Morris on Daryl Morey: I just don't trust him...he flips too many players in and out, he's trying to outsmart the game too much
Appearing on the latest episode of The Kevin O’Connor Show podcast, vYahoo Sports - 11m -
Scheierman's Celtics teammates weren't letting his big game pass without a celebration
In Scheierman's first-ever walk-off interview with the iconic Jackie MacMullan, the Celtics rookie shooting guard got the usual mid-interview shower.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
A look at injuries that could shape the NCAA Tournament and the brackets of millions of Americans
The chances of Houston cutting down the nets at the Final Four in a few weeks could depend on the uncertain status of J'Wan Roberts' ailing right ankle. The same can be said for fellow No. 1 seed ...Yahoo Sports - 12m