Trust me, I get why you’re here. Pass interference in the NFL has long been one of the most hotly debated topics when it comes to the rules of football.
What counts as pass interference has seemingly shifted with the winds from season to season, so let’s break it all down for you.
Pass Interference in the NFL, Explained
Where to start? First, it’s important to delineate that there are technically two types of pass interference – offensive pass interference (OPI) and defensive pass interference (DPI).
According to the NFL, “It is pass interference by either team when any act by a player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders an eligible player’s opportunity to catch the ball.
“Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line.”
Of course, if it were that simple, the swath of yellow flags littering NFL fields due to alleged pass interference infractions wouldn’t be so controversial from week to week. So let’s take it one penalty at a time.
Defensive Pass Interference (DPI)
There are several key qualifications necessary for a play to count as pass interference committed by a defender.
In order for DPI to be properly called, the following must take place:
- A forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage.
- The defender contacts a receiver in one of multiple ways that restricts the receiver from being able to make a catch, including:
- The defender making contact is, himself, not making a play for the ball.
- The defender plays through the back of the opponent in an attempt to make a play on the ball.
- The defender grabs the receiver’s arm in a way that restricts the receiver’s ability to make a catch.
- The defender creates an “arm bar,” meaning he extends his arm across the receiver.
- The defender cuts off the receiver’s route while making contact with the receiver without making a play for the ball.
- The defender hooks and turns the receiver in an attempt to make a play on the ball before it arrives, or
- The defender initiates contact with the receiver by shoving or pushing off, thus creating separation.
- The contact occurs after the pass is thrown.
- The contact occurs more than one yard past the line of scrimmage.
The NFL released an informational video explaining DPI in detail with in-game visual examples.
The penalty imposed for DPI is a first down for the offensive team from the spot of the foul. The severity of a DPI penalty is a key reason why it is often a point of contention among fans — one wrong call has a higher probability of swinging the momentum of a game than just about any other foul.
The rule also garners so much attention because, as can be seen from the exhaustive list above, it severely hamstrings defenders in what they’re allowed to do to defend against a pass.
Unless a defender follows his receiver step for step and is in a great position, it is extremely difficult for defenders to make a play on the ball without committing a penalty.
From 2014 to midway through the 2019 season, defensive pass interference was the fourth-most called penalty in football – it was called a whopping 1,465 times, according to ESPN.
Given the controversy over pass interference — both calls and non-calls — NFL owners voted to make the penalty reviewable for the 2019 season, in large part as a response to an egregious non-call in the 2018 NFC Championship Game between L.A. Rams and New Orleans Saints.
However, the measure was largely unsuccessful. The NFL reviewed 101 pass interference calls during the 2019 season and overturned just 24 of them. The review process served more to slow down the game than actually improve calls, and the league did not renew the measure for the 2020 season.
Offensive Pass Interference (OPI)
If you’ve made it to this point, I have good news for you! The specifics for OPI are largely identical to those of DPI, with a few additions.
On top of the rules included above, the following are also impermissible actions for an offensive player, according to the league:
- Blocking more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a pass being thrown.
- Blocking a defender beyond the line of scrimmage while the pass is in the air if the block occurs in the vicinity of the player to whom the pass is thrown.
The penalty imposed for OPI is a loss of 10 yards from the previous spot.
While the opportunities for a receiver to commit OPI are technically more numerous than those for defenders and DPI, these penalties occur less often in large part because receivers are the ones in better position to make a catch by the time the ball arrives. They’re the ones running the route, after all.
From 2014 to midway through the 2019 season, offensive pass interference was the 11th-most called penalty in football – it was called just 695 times, according to ESPN.