15yards

Facemask

Twist, turn, or pull the mask. Defense: often a first down.

What you see. Someone twists, turns, or pulls the facemask. A common look: a defender tackles the runner and twists the mask on the way down.
Typical result. 15 yards. A defensive facemask is often an automatic first down.
Easy mix-up. Roughing the passer is a different 15-yard foul, on the quarterback after the throw.
On the field. The tackler. See defense positions and the plays.

The hand is on the mask.

Yardage is from the 2026 NFL distance lists. Hand signals live in the official signals PDF. Independent fan guide, not a league ruling.