NFL ball-spotting technology explained: Why tracking chips and Hawk-Eye have limitations

The mantra that football is "a game of inches" rang true in Week 5 when the Seattle Seahawks fell just short of an opportunity to tie or take a late lead against the San Francisco 49ers . A close call on the game's decisive play gave new life to the question of why the NFL cannot use technology to spot the ball, because human error might have been the difference between the Seahawks staying alive or falling to their NFC West rival in the 32-29 defeat.