Holding is one of the most common penalties whistled in the NFL, just behind false starts. Offensive holding was called 578 times in 2023, with 218 instances of defensive holding called.
The most common type of holding occurs on run plays, with offensive linemen or wide receivers being the guilty culprit. When you see a flag thrown on a running play, more times than not, you can chalk it up as offensive holding even before the referee speaks.
What constitutes offensive holding? And how is defensive holding different? We’ll break down each rule in its entirety.
Holding Penalties, Explained
The NFL rulebook explains the violations for both sides of the ball, going into the minutiae of everything from the dimensions of the playing field to the organization of the officiating crew.
Offensive
Offensive holding is a 10-yard penalty with no loss of down, or it’s half the distance to the goal line if the offense is backed up within 20 yards of their end zone.
A holding penalty begins when a hand or arm restrains another player who is not in possession of the ball. If you’re wondering if you’re allowed to use your legs or feet, no, that would be “tripping.”
If you use hands or arms to restrict a defender’s path or pursuit angle to the ball with a tackle or grab, hook, jerk, twist or turn, or pull a defender to the ground, you are committing classic examples of holding.
Defensive
Defensive holding is a loss of 5 yards and an automatic first down.
The NFL rulebook does not go into great detail about what is considered defensive holding other than tackling or “holding” any opponent other than the ball carrier.
However, you can deduce that a defender who “tackles or grabs, hooks, jerks, twists or turns, or pulls (someone) to the ground” and it’s not the ball carrier, you are holding.
Examples of defensive holding include a defender not allowing an eligible receiver to run their route.
Next, any grab of the jersey will result in a violation. When a defender holds an offensive lineman and does not allow him to carry out a block, that will also result in a defensive holding penalty.