Roughing the passer

Roughing the passer means contact with the player who is in passing posture. The rulebook considers such performers as vulnerable to injuries in a defenseless manner. Thus, any interference from the moment of readiness to perform the pass to the catch by the receiver costs 15 yards for the defense. They lose them, and if they foul not far from their goal line, the defenders risk increasing their deficit.

The penalty is actual when the pass rusher contacts the passer when that player has already thrown the ball to the receiver. The case when the defender uses its helmet to interact with the offensive passer is the most dangerous and may even end with the ejection from the game.