NFL Penalties Explained: Yardage, Downs and Enforcement

Dec 26, 2023

2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

An NFL flag identifies a possible foul. The final effect depends on whether the penalty is accepted, where it is enforced and what happens to the down. Yardage alone is not a complete penalty explanation.

Part of Football 101. Explore the guide to choose your next topic.

Yellow penalty flag on a football field beside the words Penalties Explained.

Listen for the foul, the team and player, the enforcement spot and the next down. A declined penalty can leave the play’s result intact; an accepted penalty does not always mean the down is replayed.

Common five yard fouls

False start, encroachment, neutral zone infraction, ordinary offside and delay of game generally cost five yards. A false start does not require the defense to react.

Defensive holding and illegal contact normally cost five yards and award an automatic first down. They are not ordinarily enforced at the contact spot like defensive pass interference. An ordinary offside foul creates a first down only when the yardage reaches the line to gain.

Ten yards, fifteen yards and spot fouls

Offensive holding and offensive pass interference normally cost ten yards. Common fifteen yard fouls include roughing the passer, facemask, unnecessary roughness, chop blocks and tripping. Specific enforcement, automatic first downs and disqualification provisions still matter.

Defensive pass interference normally awards a first down at the foul spot, with special treatment near or in the end zone. Its distance is not capped at fifteen yards in the NFL.

A facemask foul is not sorted into different enforcement categories merely by calling it intentional or unintentional. The rule prohibits grasping and controlling, twisting, turning, pushing or pulling an opponent’s facemask or helmet opening; an initial grasp must be released immediately.

Replay the down or lose it?

Many offensive distance penalties repeat the down, but some also carry loss of down. Intentional grounding and a forward pass thrown from beyond the line of scrimmage are important examples. An illegal forward pass after a change of possession has different enforcement and does not add loss of down. Ineligible receiver downfield ordinarily carries five yards without loss of down. Different illegal touching acts have different consequences, so those labels should not be merged.

A dead ball foul and a foul during a live play can also be enforced differently. Fouls by both teams do not always cancel in a simple way, particularly after possession changes.

One drive changing example

On third and twelve, an accepted defensive holding foul awards a first down despite moving the ball only five yards. On the same down, an accepted five yard offside foul ordinarily leaves third and seven.

Near a goal line, half the distance provisions may reduce the distance moved, with exceptions for specified fouls. In the offense’s end zone, certain accepted fouls can produce a safety.

Use this page as a framework. For a disputed play, follow the dedicated foul explanation and its rule reference rather than applying a yardage list without the situation.