NFL icon Jason Kelce took notice of the change in officiating after the Baltimore Ravens’ tough start in the Opening Night game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The refs were expected to pay more attention to the alignment of the offensive line during the 2024 NFL season.
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And they did at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night.
The officiating crew called the Ravens for illegal formation three times on their opening drive.
Veteran offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley was at fault for two of the thrown flags.
The strict enforcement of the rule didn’t escape Kelce’s attention.
“Man they are not messing around with these tackles alignments,” the Philadelphia Eagles legend posted on X during the game.
“And to be fair, Stanley is still too far back!”
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt added his two cents, too.
“Offensive linemen are going to hate that they are finally calling that penalty,” Watt wrote.
“Defensive linemen are going to love it.”
However, Watt said he didn’t think the referees would call the illegal formation penalty as diligently during the entire season.
“Just trying to send a message early,” he wrote.
“But as a defensive lineman, I selfishly hope they keep it up.”
One of the three penalties the Ravens received seemed to be particularly costly.
Lamar Jackson threw the pass toward wideout Zay Flowers, who appeared to be illegally stopped from catching the ball by the Chiefs defense.
Why is the NFL allowing players to wear Guardian Caps?
The NFL announced in April that players will be allowed to wear extra protective headgear in games to increase player health and safety.
They are designed to reduce the risk of head injury in high-impact collisions and were introduced in practice in 2022 – leading to a 50 percent reduction in concussions.
The NFL says that they can reduce the force from head contact by 10 percent if one player is wearing it, and 20 percent if all players involved are wearing them.
“We now have two years of data showing significant concussion reductions among players who wear Guardian Caps during practice so players will be permitted to wear the cap during games this upcoming season,” said NFL executive Jeff Miller.
“Additionally, there are new helmets this year that provide as much – if not more – protection than a different helmet model paired with a Guardian Cap.
“These developments represent substantial progress in our efforts to make the game safer for players.”
NFL players will have 12 new helmets – including eight that are made specifically for linemen and quarterbacks – to choose from next season.
If Baltimore’s O-line had been in the correct alignment, the defending Super Bowl champs could have been called for defensive pass interference.
That would have resulted in a 30-plus-yard gain for the Ravens.
Still, the visitors managed to salvage the drive.
A few minutes later, running back Derrick Henry scored his first touchdown in a Ravens jersey with a five-yard rush.
Baltimore didn’t hold the lead for long, though, as it took just five plays for the Chiefs to find the end zone on the next drive.
It ended with Patrick Mahomes connected with rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 21-yard score.
