# Two NFL questions **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 27, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556 "2019-10-27T19:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/21 "2019-10-29T18:40:18Z")
IIRC, the only possible penalty that is more severe than “half the distance to the goal” is a pass interference that places the ball at the 1-yard line. You could hurl a ball all the way from midfield into the end zone, and a defensive PI in the end zone puts it at the 1-yard line. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/22 "2019-10-29T18:59:25Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > 1. I don’t even understand this question. The greater the penalty, the closer you get to the goal line with “half the distance”. Why would you ever want a lesser penalty? To clarify, “half the distance” means “half the distance between the the line of scrimmage and the goal line,” not “half the (regular) distance of the penalty.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/23 "2019-10-29T19:01:29Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > IIRC, the only possible penalty that is more severe than “half the distance to the goal” is a pass interference that places the ball at the 1-yard line. You could hurl a ball all the way from midfield into the end zone, and a defensive PI in the end zone puts it at the 1-yard line. and if the defensive PI is not committed in the end zone, then the penalty places the ball at the spot of the foul. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/24 "2019-10-29T19:50:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > IIRC, the only possible penalty that is more severe than “half the distance to the goal” is a pass interference that places the ball at the 1-yard line. This is a “spot” foul - penalty enforcement is based on where the foul was committed. Two others are Illegal Forward Pass (5 yards from spot of foul and loss of down) and Intentional Grounding (spot of foul or 10 yards [whichever is worse] and loss of down). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/25 "2019-10-29T20:11:28Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > and if the defensive PI is not committed in the end zone, then the penalty places the ball at the spot of the foul. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this but in theory if someone is trying to make a catch inches from the goal line and defense interferes with the catch, that would put the ball much closer than if it happened in the end zone. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/26 "2019-10-29T21:03:20Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever seen this but in theory if someone is trying to make a catch inches from the goal line and defense interferes with the catch, that would put the ball much closer than if it happened in the end zone. I doubt the refs really take “spot of the foul” that literally. They probably just round it off to the nearest yard line. Which would be the 1-yard line. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/27 "2019-10-29T21:12:41Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > IIRC, the only possible penalty that is more severe than “half the distance to the goal” is a pass interference that places the ball at the 1-yard line. You could hurl a ball all the way from midfield into the end zone, and a defensive PI in the end zone puts it at the 1-yard line. If the line of scrimmage was inside the 2 yard line the ‘half the distance’ rule goes into effect. The ball could be placed on the 1 inch line as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/28 "2019-10-29T21:13:21Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I doubt the refs really take “spot of the foul” that literally. They probably just round it off to the nearest yard line. Which would be the 1-yard line. They definitely aren’t supposed to do that. Maybe there’s fine print in the rules that I haven’t seen in regards to spot fouls inside the 1 yard line, but they certainly shouldn’t be rounding anything off. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/29 "2019-10-29T21:18:47Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > They definitely aren’t supposed to do that. Maybe there’s fine print in the rules that I haven’t seen in regards to spot fouls inside the 1 yard line, but they certainly shouldn’t be rounding anything off. Close to the goal line is where they wouldn’t be rounding off. At mid-field, with yards to go and it’s not 4th down the positioning may be a little rough. Ball placement can be reviewed, if it’s clearly off it can get moved. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/30 "2019-10-29T21:28:09Z")
There’s a reason why they say football is a “game of inches”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/31 "2019-10-29T21:32:30Z")
Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? If DPI in the endzone really just results in the ball being spotted at the 1, then that means that it’d be to the defense’s advantage to interfere with every short pass from close to the goal line. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/32 "2019-10-29T21:48:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? > > If DPI in the endzone really just results in the ball being spotted at the 1, then that means that it’d be to the defense’s advantage to interfere with every short pass from close to the goal line. It also makes it first down. If you keep getting DPI in the end zone you’re giving the offense unlimited chances for a TD and eventually they’ll get it. You want them to get stymied and settle for a FG attempt if you can do it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/33 "2019-10-29T21:51:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? That hasn’t been the rule in the NFL, as long as I’ve been a fan (since the 1970s); such a foul has always been enforced with a first down at the 1. (In the NCAA, I think it’d be a first down at the 2, unless the previous snap had been inside the 2, at which point it would be half the distance to the goal line.) [The Wikipedia article on pass interference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pass_interference#Penalties) makes no mention of an automatic touchdown in the NFL, the CFL, the NCAA, or American high school football. If pass interference in the end zone ever was an automatic touchdown, it’s not something I’ve ever heard of. It’s possible that it might have been the case in the distant past, or in a particular low level of amateur play. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/34 "2019-10-29T21:53:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? > > If DPI in the endzone really just results in the ball being spotted at the 1, then that means that it’d be to the defense’s advantage to interfere with every short pass from close to the goal line. DPI in end zone only results in a first-and-goal from the 1. The only penalty that will lead directly to a score of any sort, by rule, is either holding or intentional grounding in one’s own end zone. That gives the opposing team a safety; two points. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/35 "2019-10-29T21:56:08Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > They definitely aren’t supposed to do that. Maybe there’s fine print in the rules that I haven’t seen in regards to spot fouls inside the 1 yard line, but they certainly shouldn’t be rounding anything off. They shouldn’t, but they do: > **[Are NFL officials biased with their ball placement?](https://gutterstats.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/are-nfl-officials-biased-with-their-ball-placement/)** > > \[Disclaimer: I’m British and trying to talk about the NFL, so it’s pretty likely I’m going to sound like either an idiot or an alien while trying to describe what’s going on… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/36 "2019-10-29T21:58:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? > > If DPI in the endzone really just results in the ball being spotted at the 1, then that means that it’d be to the defense’s advantage to interfere with every short pass from close to the goal line. > [@Velocity](#): > > DPI in end zone only results in a first-and-goal from the 1. Don’t forget, it’s an automatic first down as well (and an untimed down if the clock runs out). Also, I think the refs have the ability to eventually award points for “unfair acts.” So if the game is over but keeps going on because the defense is committing penalties over and over, they might just award the offense a touchdown. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/37 "2019-10-29T21:59:04Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > They shouldn’t, but they do: > [Are NFL officials biased with their ball placement? – gutterstats](https://gutterstats.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/are-nfl-officials-biased-with-their-ball-placement/) I love that his example picture is Marshawn wearing a bunch of 49ers. I miss you Beast Mode. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/38 "2019-10-29T21:59:59Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It also makes it first down. If you keep getting DPI in the end zone you’re giving the offense unlimited chances for a TD and eventually they’ll get it. You want them to get stymied and settle for a FG attempt if you can do it. Right, the first down takes away the advantage the defense has. But it’s done. It does stop a touchdown, at least temporarily. Interference calls are way too controversial to result in touchdowns. There’s no other penalty that can result in a score. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/39 "2019-10-29T22:06:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I thought that a defensive pass interference in the end zone resulted in a touchdown. Was that changed recently, or does it vary with level? I don’t think this is the rule anywhere, nor has it ever been. In college a DPI is a 15 yard penalty, not a spot foul. That’s the only notable difference. The only way to get a automatic touchdown is with a Palpably Unfair Act…which I don’t think has ever been called, but the Woody Hayes/Mike Tomlin sideline interference incidents are the closest that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556/40 "2019-10-29T22:10:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Right, the first down takes away the advantage the defense has. But it’s done. It does stop a touchdown, at least temporarily. > > Interference calls are way too controversial to result in touchdowns. There’s no other penalty that can result in a score. I look at it like this… If you were interfered with while trying to catch a ball in the end zone then in all likelihood if you weren’t interfered with you would have caught it. (Balls that seems uncatchable don’t draw DPIs or shouldn’t.) But there’s a chance you’d drop it or mistime a jump or not get your feet in so it’s not fair to just give it to you. So here, let’s put it on the 1 yard line and give you four chances to get it in. You’ll probably succeed unless you really suck and/or the defense is really good. Which is also what we’d say about your chances to get a touchdown if that guy wasn’t hanging onto your arms while the football bounced off your helmet. So I’d say we’re now even, good luck champ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-nfl-questions/842556.md?page=3)