What Is Pass Interference in Football?

Pass interference is illegal contact that unfairly prevents an eligible player from having a fair chance to catch a catchable forward pass while the ball is in the air. It can be committed by the defense against a receiver, or by the offense against a defender, and each carries its own penalty. The rule exists so that a pass is decided by skill and positioning rather than by one player physically obstructing another.

The core idea

Once a legal forward pass is thrown, both the intended receiver and any nearby defender have an equal right to make a play on the ball. Pass interference occurs when one of them significantly hinders the other’s opportunity to catch it through illegal contact, such as grabbing an arm, riding a player off his route, or pushing off to create separation. The key conditions are that the ball is in the air and that the pass is catchable; contact that meets the definition during that window is what officials look for.

Defensive pass interference

Defensive pass interference (DPI) is called when a defender illegally impedes a receiver’s chance to catch a catchable pass. Common examples include arm bars that restrict the receiver, early contact that cuts off the route before the ball arrives, or playing through the receiver’s back without playing the ball. In the NFL, the penalty is significant: the offense is awarded the ball at the spot of the foul, plus an automatic first down. On a long throw, that “spot foul” can advance the offense a great distance in one call, which is why DPI is one of the most impactful penalties in the game and often earns the offense a new first down regardless of the yardage.

Offensive pass interference

Offensive pass interference (OPI) is committed by the passing team, most often by the intended receiver. A receiver who pushes off a defender to create space, or who blocks a defender downfield before the ball is thrown, can be flagged. In the NFL, OPI is a 10-yard penalty enforced from the previous spot, and it does not include an automatic first down. Because it wipes out what might have been a completion, it can be a drive-killing call for the offense.

When it is not interference

Not all contact around a pass is a foul. Several situations typically fall outside pass interference:

• Uncatchable pass: if officials judge the ball could not reasonably have been caught, interference generally is not called.
• Contact after the ball arrives: once the pass reaches the receiver, the interference window has closed, though other fouls could apply.
• Simultaneous, incidental contact: when both players are playing the ball and bump each other while doing so, it is often ruled incidental rather than a foul.
• Contact behind the line of scrimmage: pass interference rules apply beyond the line, so certain contact before the pass crosses it is judged under different rules.

How officials judge it

Pass interference is a judgment call. Officials must decide in real time whether contact was significant enough to hinder the play and whether the pass was catchable. That subjectivity is why DPI and OPI calls are so frequently debated by fans and coaches. The league periodically reviews how the foul is officiated, but the underlying standard, illegal contact that unfairly affects a catchable pass, has remained the guiding principle in the NFL rulebook.

Position matters as much as contact. Officials watch whether a defender turns to locate the ball or plays only the receiver, since a defender who never looks back for the pass and instead impedes the receiver is far more likely to be flagged. They also weigh who initiated the contact and whether it created an unfair advantage. Two players reaching for the same ball and colliding may be ruled incidental, while a clear grab, shove, or arm bar that alters the receiver’s path is the kind of contact that draws a flag. Because so much hinges on angle and timing, two similar-looking plays can be officiated differently depending on these fine details.

Why it matters

Because defensive pass interference is a spot foul with an automatic first down, it can swing field position more than almost any other penalty, effectively turning a defended deep ball into a large gain for the offense. Offensive pass interference, meanwhile, can erase a big play. Understanding the rule helps you read why a defense plays a receiver a certain way and why coaches weigh the risk on deep throws, decisions that carry extra weight in tight games and in overtime, where a single call can decide the outcome.