NFL illegal touching penalty, explained

The NFL illegal touching penalty has wiped out many big plays with the throwing of a yellow flag. What is the rule and why does it exist?

You’re watching an NFL game. The offense makes a big play. Players are celebrating and then…It’s gone.

The referees tossed a penalty flag and announced illegal touching, resulting in the result of the play being wiped out and a five-yard penalty being enforced with the loss of a down.

What is the NFL illegal touching penalty?

You just witnessed the NFL’s illegal touching penalty, one of the most frustrating for an offense to get hit with.

Illegal touching is exactly what it sounds like. The receiver touched the ball illegally, usually because he stepped out of bounds and came back in to impact the play. Sometimes it’s a lineman who gets hit with the penalty for catching a ball when they weren’t an eligible receiver.

Why does the rule exist?

It’s to protect the defense. Otherwise, receivers would have free range of the sideline to get away from defenders. For the linemen, it’s all about the difference between blockers and receivers. There are complex rules governing who is and isn’t eligible to receive a pass and linemen have to follow them unless the ball is batted by a defender first.