NFL OFFICIALS SPOTTING THE FOOTBALL ISN'T GOING AWAY DESPITE SEVERAL TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

The NFL will engage its Competition Committee on technology to take virtual line-to-gain measurements next season, but officials will continue to spot the football.

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There's no current technology being considered that would help determine forward progress, which became a point of contention after Josh Allen was stopped short on a sneak on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter of Buffalo's 32-29 loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.

The league tested Sony's Hawk-Eye tracking services for virtual line-to-gain measurements in the preseason and in the background during the regular season. The optimal tracking system notifies officiating instantly if a first down was gained after the ball is spotted by hand.

The key word is after. This technology replaces the chain measurement. The NFL has long used two bright orange sticks and a chain -the chain gang to measure for first downs. That method would remain in a backup capacity.