PITTSBURGH — The NFL has shown a penchant for reacting swiftly to incidents that have affected the outcome — even the competitive balance — of playoff games.
They have used the moments, fueled by the outcry from coaches, owners, media and even the public, to enact rule changes to hopefully prevent a recurrence, sometimes to their own detriment.
The objective is usually to preserve the integrity of the game. But it also involves trying to create, as much as possible, a level playing field for the competing teams, especially when an imbalance can drastically affect the league's most prized possession — the product.
