Foul committed during pass play

Article 5 of Rule 14 Section 4 describes the fouls committed during passing play. That covers the interval between the receiver’s snap and the catch of the ball. When somebody commits a foul when the forward pass from behind the scrimmage, the referee enforces the penalty from the previous spot.

The exceptions are intentional grounding and some other penalties referring to the passes. For example, the principle of the IG penalty lies in the plane of minimum benefits for the offense. The choice is between loss of the down at the spot of the foul or together with a 10-yard penalty. Pass interference is the opposite; praying benefits the offense. If the offense commits the foul behind their goal line, there is no penalty but safety.