Looking at Eagles' 2 proposed NFL rule changes, why they might want them

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The full list of proposed NFL rule changes was released on Friday night and the Eagles were involved in proposing two of the nine. Both deal with replay. 

Some changes will be removed before we get there, but the others will be voted on at the annual league meetings later this month in Phoenix. 

Let’s take a closer look at the Eagles’ proposed changes: 

The first was proposed by the Eagles, Panthers, Rams and Seahawks together: 

To amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add review of designated player safety-related fouls (called or not called on the field) as plays subject to coaches’ challenge in the instant replay system.

The first play that seems to stand out as the impetus for this rule proposal as it relates to the Eagles is the facemask penalty the refs missed on that two-point conversion against the Texans in December. Jadeveon Clowney pulled Nick Foles down by his facemask in the second quarter and it wasn’t called. Foles got as heated as I’ve ever seen him and for good reason. 

The Eagles ended up winning that game, but at the time, those two points were big. It would have pushed the Eagles’ lead to six points in the late stages of the first half in a close game. 

The next rule proposal is all Eagles: 

To amend Rule 15, Section 2, to add scoring plays and turnovers negated by a foul to be subject to automatic review in the instant replay system.

The play that stands out here is the 75-yard touchdown catch from Dallas Goedert in Dallas in early December. The Eagles ended up scoring on the drive in the fourth quarter but this ridiculous OPI call on Goedert cost the Eagles a touchdown. There was just clearly no pass interference here. In fact, the Cowboys should have been called for a helmet-to-helmet penalty. 

Meanwhile, the most exciting rule changes of the entire bunch belong to the Chiefs and the Broncos. 

• The Chiefs submitted a proposal that would change overtime rules to allow both teams to get the ball at least once in overtime even if the first team scores a touchdown. Not hard to figure out why they proposed this rule. The Chiefs never got the ball back in OT against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game after Tom Brady led a 75-yard touchdown drive. 

The Broncos’ rule change proposal would eliminate onside kicks for a team trailing. Basically, it would replace the kick with a 4th-and-15 play from their own 35-yard line. It seems like Corey Graham is walking away from the NFL at the exact right moment. This rule would be bad for the Eagles, who struggled against those situations on defense in 2018. 

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