ESPN Rules Analyst Clarifies That Intentional Grounding Has Nothing to Do With Intent It's time for a new name for this rule. Tyler Lauletta Nov 24, 2025. Rule Summary View Official Rule SECTION 2 - INTENTIONAL GROUNDING ARTICLE 1.
DEFINITION It is a foul for intentional grounding if a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage because of pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass that is not in the direction and vicinity of an originally eligible offensive receiver. The pass does not have to be incomplete for intentional grounding to. The league intends to propose a rule change on intentional grounding penalties after calls were up during the 2023 season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The league had 59 intentional grounding calls in 2023, with only two drives that featured an intentional grounding call ending with a touchdown. The Competition Committee has discussed and will continue to discuss adjusting the grounding rule. The rule of intentional grounding is described as follows: It is a foul for intentional grounding if a passer, facing an imminent loss of yardage because of pressure from the defense, throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion.
Intentional grounding In gridiron football, intentional grounding is a violation of the rules where "a passer throws a forward pass without a realistic chance of completion." [1] This typically happens when a quarterback about to be sacked passes the ball toward an area of the field with no eligible receiver. 2023 rule changes Ghost edit to the rulebook redefines a safety via intentional grounding An unmarked addition to the rules alters how a safety by penalty is ruled. In the NFL, grounding, officially known as intentional grounding, is one of the most important penalties affecting quarterbacks.
It exists to prevent quarterbacks from unfairly avoiding sacks by throwing the ball away without a legitimate target. Because grounding is partly based on referee judgment, it is also one of the most debated rules in football. Mike Florio and Chris Simms debate whether the NFL is overreacting or planning shrewdly in its new intentional grounding rule proposal, and they react to a long overdue move to electronic first.
A change could be in the wind for the NFL's intentional grounding penalty, one that would hopefully keep quarterbacks more safe.
