Coach Jim Caldwell played by the rules when he opted to pull quarterback Peyton Manning and other starters in the third quarter of the Indianapolis Colts' loss to the New York Jets last Sunday.
Those rules will come under review during the offseason, in part because of fan outrage following the Colts' 29-15 setback.
"We are aware of the fan reaction and that is a factor to be considered," NFL senior vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said.
"Some teams that have everything clinched, like the Giants and Patriots two years ago, choose to play all out to continue or gain momentum for the playoffs."
The current rule was endorsed by the league's competition committee, adopted by the 32 teams and reviewed in 2005. It states that a team that has clinched its division title "has earned the right" to rest its starters for the playoffs, and that preparing for the postseason is as important as "protecting some other team's playoff opportunity."
The Colts are expected to play Manning and other starters sparingly Sunday at Buffalo in a game that has no playoff ramifications. There's a chance San Diego, Cincinnati and New England will limit the playing time of some of their high-profile players in games that could determine another team's playoff fate.
"We expect to continue to review this issue," Aiello s
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