In every NFL stadium, there are six ultra-high-definition cameras that, coupled with computer-vision software, can measure the distance between a football and a first-down line.
And in every NFL football, there is a coin-sized chip that, coupled with radio-frequency identification (RFID), transmits data on the movement and location of the ball.
And yet, when Josh Allen plunged into a pile of Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, seeking a crucial fourth-and-1 conversion in the AFC championship game, neither technology was used to determine whether Allen had picked up a first down.