NFL will allow head coaches to designate an assistant to throw challenge flag

Nbcwashington · Aug 10, 2026 · 268 words · By Josh Dubow; The Associated Press

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What to know about NFL will allow head coaches to designate an assistant to throw challenge flag

NFL head coaches will now be able to designate an assistant to handle the task of throwing the red flag to challenge a call through instant replay.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

NFL head coaches will now be able to designate an assistant to handle the task of throwing the red flag to challenge a call through instant replay.

Why it matters

Since the current instant replay rule was put in place in 1999, only the head coach was allowed to throw the flag to challenge a disputed call.

Common ground

But the league tweaked the language in Rule 15 Section 1 of the rule book for this season, allowing that task to be delegated.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: NFL will allow head coaches to designate an assistant to throw challenge flag?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Any scoring play, turnover, failed fourth down, possession after a kick or disqualification are automatically reviewed and can't be challenged by teams?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nfl/nfl-coaches-designate-assistant-ch…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified 1

info

Claim 1: “Any scoring play, turnover, failed fourth down, possession after a kick or disqualification are automatically reviewed and can't be challenged by teams.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim regarding automatic reviews for scoring plays, turnovers, etc., is explicitly stated in one of the web search results, but not corroborated by a second independent source in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Payment options through Affirm are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. Your rate will be 0–36% APR based on credit, and is subject to an eligibility check. Affirm Pay in 4 payment …
https://www.affirm.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Any scoring play, turnover, failed fourth down, possession after a kick or disqualification are automatically reviewed and can't be challenged by teams.
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-to-allow-head-coaches-to-design…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Scoring. When a player scores a touchdown six points are awarded to their team. A touchdown can be scored by either carrying the ball into the end zone or receiving the ball from a pass whilst in the …
https://www.rulesofsport.com/sports/american-football.html

info

Claim 2: “Since the current instant replay rule was put in place in 1999, only the head coach was allowed to throw the flag to challenge a disputed call.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the rule change is corroborated, the specific historical claim that only the head coach was allowed to throw the flag since 1999 is only mentioned in the context of the reporting on the new rule; the provided Wikipedia entries for 1999 do not explicitly detail the challenge flag rule.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NFL_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season, while the Tennessee Oilers c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NFL_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Football League playoffs for the 1999 season began on January 8, 2000 and included the Music City Miracle, the postseason tournament concluded with the St. Louis Rams defeating the Tennes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999–2000_NFL_playoffs

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “NFL head coaches will now be able to designate an assistant to handle the task of throwing the red flag to challenge a call through instant replay.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that NFL head coaches can now designate an assistant to throw the red challenge flag.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League

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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 30, 2007 · The official source for NFL news, video highlights, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more.
https://www.nfl.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 3, 2007 · Visit the official source for NFL News, NFL schedules, stats, scores and more. Get all the latest NFL Football news now!
https://www.nfl.com/news

info

Claim 4: “Replay can be used in several scenarios, including possession, whether the ball or a player touched the ground, whether a player was inbounds, whether a player gained a first down, or how many players were on the field.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general NFL Wikipedia and home page links which do not list the specific scenarios where replay can be used.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jul 30, 2007 · The official source for NFL news, video highlights, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more.
https://www.nfl.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Aug 3, 2007 · Visit the official source for NFL News, NFL schedules, stats, scores and more. Get all the latest NFL Football news now!
https://www.nfl.com/news

info

Claim 5: “Teams are granted two challenges per game and can get a third if one of the first two leads to an overturn.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses college football challenges (2 challenges + 1 if successful) and Arena football, but does not provide the specific current NFL rule for the number of challenges allowed per game.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Coaches now receive two replay challenges per game, with a possible third challenge awarded if one of the first two challenges is successful and the team still has a timeout available. Every year, col…
https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/rule-changes-in-college-foot…

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web search NEUTRAL — View the full current NFL schedule for the season. Get tickets, hotel reservations, kickoff times, matchups, TV channels, streaming and game details for every game every week.
https://www.nfl.com/schedules

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web search NEUTRAL — If a team wins two straight challenges they are granted a third.In the first overtime, each team gets one possession to score. Whoever is ahead after one possession wins. If the teams are tied after e…
https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/Arena_football

verified

Claim 6: ““The head coach or head coach’s pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick,” the rule book says in Article 1 (a).”

VERIFIED

The exact quote from the rule book Article 1 (a) is provided in the evidence, confirming the language regarding the head coach or pregame designee.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following nicknames are given to a unit (defensive, offensive, and special teams) or a secondary nickname given to some teams used to describe a style of play or attitude of teams at times in acco…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_nicknames

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game, also known as the Tuck Rule Game or the Snow Bowl, and sometimes referred to as Snow Bowl 2, was a National Football League (NFL) playoff game between the New Eng…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuck_Rule_Game

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the league tweaked the language in Rule 15 Section 1 of the rule book for this season, allowing that task to be delegated.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly mention that the league's new mandate comes under Rule 15, Section 1, allowing for the delegation of the challenge flag.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “If a head coach wants to give up those duties, he will have to let the officiating crew know before the game.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that the head coach must notify the officiating crew before the game if they designate someone else to handle challenge duties.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — NFL head coaches will now be able to designate an assistant to handle the task of throwing the red flag to challenge a call through instant replay.If a head coach wants to give up those duties, he wil…
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/10/nfl-allow-h…

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web search NEUTRAL — A head coach will have to notify the officiating crew before the game if challenge duties are given up to a member of the staff.
https://steelersnow.com/mike-mccarthy-reveals-plan-for-new-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — But Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni wanted officials to look at it. The problem was he tossed his challenge flag a little bit late. And officials did not see the flag in time before the next play star…
https://www.on3.com/pro/news/terry-mcaulay-explains-eagles-r…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.