NFL Unlikely to Change Pass Interference Rule to 15-Yard Penalty

While there is a proposal to change pass interference from a spot foul to a 15-yard penalty, the NFL is unlikely to pass the rule change this season.

According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, the competition committee did not endorse the rule change, and it is unlikely to gain the 24 votes needed at this week's owners meetings.

"I don't think anything will happen on that," New York Giants co-owner John Mara said of the change. "I happen to be in the minority. I prefer the 15-yard penalty, but most people prefer [the current rule]."

The competition committee voted down the change by a margin of 6-2.

According to Calvin Watkins of Newsday, the New York Jets were the ones to propose the rule, hoping to create the same rule as in college football.

Per NFLPenalties.com, there were 277 defensive pass interference calls in 2017, and they led to an average of 17.7 yards per call. Although this doesn't appear to be a major difference from the alternative, calls that result in huge chunks of penalty yardage can lead to major momentum shifts. 

This was seen in the AFC Championship Game when a first-half call against Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye ended up being a 32-yard penalty. The Patriots, which had struggled offensively, scored their first touchdown of the game two plays later and eventually won 24-20.

Despite the fact some of the calls that result in big penalty yardage are questionable, it seems not enough owners are in favor of making a change.