CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston announced some significant rule changes that will unfold over the next two seasons, which he believes will enhance the fan experience and “elevate the action.”
Here’s the gist of the new rules that will begin next season:
- The introduction of the automatic 35-second play clock. The current 20-second clock gets set manually, so the new clock will be consistent for each game. The clock will begin at the conclusion of the previous play.
- Benches on opposite sides of the field.
- No longer a rouge (point) for a missed field goal or a punt that sails out of the endzone or bounces out of the endzone without being touched. However, if a punt, kickoff or field goal settles in the endzone, and the returner doesn’t take it out, a rouge will be awarded.
There will be more changes in 2027:
- Goal posts will be moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone.
- End zones will be equal in all facilities and will shrink from 20 yards to 15 yards.
- The field of play will be reduced from 110 yards to 100 yards.
A video release from the CFL said, “These updates will create more highlight-worthy plays, improve sight lines and deliver more entertainment.”
People loathe change, so I’m sure many will be uncomfortable with these changes. But I like them.
I spoke to an organization that knew this announcement was coming, so this past weekend, they tracked their games and learned that over 50% of their plays had more than 35 seconds between the end of one play and the snap of the ball on the ensuing play. So, the new rule will make the game quicker, which is great.
The one concern is the final three minutes of the game. Some of the best finishes in the CFL occur because teams can’t just run the clock down. “They are still looking at that. They have discussed adding another timeout or maybe using a 25-second clock in the final three minutes,” said this source from a CFL team.
That is great news. The final three minutes allow the CFL to be entertaining, and those tweaks would keep it that way.
Moving the goalposts makes sense. Currently, it limits areas/plays the offence can attack when they are close to the endzone. Johnston outlined that this change would lead to a 10% increase in touchdowns. Great if it does.
Making every stadium have the exact endzone dimensions makes sense. The 15-yard endzone still allows offence to be creative, but it also means teams will need to be more aggressive moving the ball down the field.
The league reduced the field size to 100 yards, but now field goals will be 15 yards longer due to the goalposts being at the back of the endzone. Currently, if the ball is scrimmaged at the 30-yard line, that becomes a 37-yard field goal attempt, but under new rules, it will be a 52-yard attempt due to the ball having to travel through the endzone to reach the uprights.
This means teams will need to be more aggressive on third down when they are at the 35–45-yard line. With the elimination of the Rouge, why would a team risk punting from the 40-yard line and have the ball bounce out of the endzone? The return team wouldn’t give up a point, and they would scrimmage from the 35-yard line. The offensive team would only gain five yards of field position.
We should see more gambling on third down.
The downside to moving the goal posts is that we won’t see many missed field goal returns. I asked the CFL stats crew how many missed field goal returns we’ve seen through 62 games this season. There have been 33 missed field goal returns. And 14 of them were for more than 30 yards. Three were returned for touchdowns.
We could still see the odd return, on long field goals that come up short, but the CFL believes that losing the three missed TD returns will be made up by more offensive touchdowns, as Johnston noted they expect a 10% increase in touchdowns due to the rule changes.
Overall, I like the changes. I think people will see more offensive creativity due to no goalposts hindering certain patterns/routes. Also, the added 15-yard penalty to field goals will force teams to be more aggressive in their play calling.
I’m looking forward to seeing what they decide to ensure the final three minutes of a game are still entertaining. I like the possibility of a comeback, and so adding another timeout to make it a 25-second clock in the final three minutes would be great.
