The rules surrounding challenges and the use of instant replay in the NFL are always a much-discussed set of topics ahead of every season, including for 2024.
Seemingly every week, the challenge rules get discussed during a live broadcast as the intricacies of the rules can often have a big impact on the game. There will likely be moments during the season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs where plays will get challenged by the head coaches on both sides.
Before the season opener of the ’24 season, let’s examine how many challenges an NFL team is allowed per game, including what happens if they lose their challenge and which plays can and cannot be challenged.
How Many Challenges Are NFL Teams Allowed per Game?
Each team starts the game with two challenges (and the potential for a third). Furthermore, to get that third challenge, the team/head coach must be successful on both of their first two challenges. Additionally, challenging a play is contingent on the team having timeouts remaining. If a team does not have a timeout remaining in that half, they cannot challenge a play for the remainder of the half.
Inside the final two minutes of a half, all challenges are initiated by the replay official. However, outside of the last two minutes, the following plays are instantly reviewed:
- Any scoring play
- A turnover (interception, fumble, backward pass recovered by an opponent, or muffed punt legally recovered by the kicking team)
- All failed fourth-down conversions (new change for 2023). Successful fourth-down conversions will require a coach’s challenge unless it’s in the final two minutes of half or overtime.
- Player disqualifications
There is no limit to the number of official replays. Additionally, these are instigated by a replay official or a member of the officiating department in the Art McNally GameDay Central command center in New York. There is no dependency on a timeout being available for either team. Any play being reviewed, be it by a coach’s challenge or an official review, must be instigated before the initiation of the next play.
What Happens if You Lose the Challenge?
If a coach loses his challenge, he will be charged with a timeout. That is why teams cannot challenge if they have no remaining timeouts.
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Additionally, if one of their first two challenges is unsuccessful, it automatically means they cannot get the third potential challenge for the game.
When Can’t You Challenge a Call in an NFL Game?
When teams can or cannot challenge in an NFL game is where the intricacies of the challenge rules come into play. The simplest answers are as described above; a team cannot challenge if you do not have an available challenge or are out of timeouts.
However, different on-field decisions can determine whether a challenge is within the NFL rules. Here is the list of situations that are not considered reviewable according to the NFL’s rules digest page:
- All fouls (except for the number of players on the field)
- Spot of the ball and runner
- Runner ruled down by contact or out of bounds (not involving fumbles or the line to gain)
- The position of the ball not relating to first down or goal line
- Whether a runner’s forward progress was stopped before he went out of bounds or lost possession of the ball
- Whether a runner gave himself up
- Miscellaneous:
- Field goal or extra-point attempts that cross above either upright without touching anything
- Erroneous whistle
- Whether a player was blocked into a loose ball
- Spot where an airborne ball crossed the sideline
- Whether a player advanced the ball after a fair catch
- Whether a player created the impetus that put the ball into an end zone.
If an NFL head coach attempts to challenge a play that cannot be reviewed, their team will lose a timeout. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin attempted to challenge a potential receiving touchdown by George Pickens on “Thursday Night Football” against the New York Giants in Week 8.
Despite the incomplete pass being confirmed by the NFL’s replay assist system, Tomlin still attempted to challenge the ruling. Since teams are unable to challenge plays in that scenario, the Steelers lost one of their timeouts as a result of Tomlin’s mistake.
What Can Be Challenged During an NFL Game?
The following plays are listed as reviewable according to the NFL operations website.
- Possession
- Plays involving touching of either the ball or the ground
- Goal-line plays
- Plays at the sidelines, line of scrimmage, and line to gain
- Number of players on the field at the snap, even when a foul is not called
- Game administration:
- Penalty enforcement
- Proper down
- Spot of a foul
- Status of the game clock
- Disqualification of a player