Making sense of the penalties in American football can be tough — unless you have a handy list of common football penalties to refer to as you watch a game. Here are some brief explanations most common football penalties in National Football League (NFL):
| Penalty | Description | Penalty Yardage (NFL) |
| Encroachment | When a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage and makes contact with an opponent before the ball is snapped. | 5 yards |
| False Start | When an interior lineman on the offensive team moves prior to the snap of the ball, or when any offensive player makes a quick, abrupt movement prior to the snap of the ball. | 5 yards |
| Offside | When any part of a player’s body is beyond the line of scrimmage or free kick line when the ball is put into play. | 5 yards |
| Holding (Offensive) | When an offensive player uses his hands, arms, or other parts of his body to prevent a defensive player from tackling the ball carrier. | 10 yards |
| Holding (Defensive) | When a defensive player tackles or holds an offensive player other than the ball carrier. | 5 yards Automatic First Down |
| Pass Interference | A judgment call made by an official who sees a defensive player make contact with the intended receiver before the ball arrives, thus restricting his opportunity to catch the forward pass. | Spot of the foul Automatic First Down |
| Helmet to Helmet Collision | When one player uses his helmet to hit into another player’s helmet. | 15 yards Automatic First Down |
| Horse Collar Tackle | When one player tackles another by grabbing inside their shoulder pads (or jersey) from behind and yanking them down. | 15 yards Automatic First Down |
| Face Mask | When a player grabs the face mask of another player while attempting to block or tackle. | 15 yards Automatic First Down |
| Roughing the Kicker | When a defensive player makes any contact with the punter, provided the defensive player hasn’t touched the kicked ball before contact. | 15 yards Automatic First Down |
| Roughing the Passer | hen a defensive player makes direct contact with the quarterback after the quarterback has released the ball. | 15 yards Automatic First Down |
| Personal Foul | An illegal, flagrant foul considered risky to the health of another player. | 15 yards |
| Delay of Game | An action which delays the game; for example, if the offense allows the play clock to run out | 5 yards |
