INELIGIBLE BLOCKING DOWNFIELD ON WR SCREEN

[NVFOA_Ump]

At least twice this Sunday there were penalties enforced for interior linemen blocking downfield on wide receiver screen pass plays where the wide receiver clearly stepped back into the backfield and caught the pass well behind the LOS.  Doesn't a forward pass have to cross the NZ and be caught beyond the NZ for this to be a penalty or is the NFL rule different than college.  This seemed to be called inconsistently in yesterdays games.

[Rulesman]

Consistency is a problem in MANY NFL games.

[APG]

At least twice this Sunday there were penalties enforced for interior linemen blocking downfield on wide receiver screen pass plays where the wide receiver clearly stepped back into the backfield and caught the pass well behind the LOS.  Doesn't a forward pass have to cross the NZ and be caught beyond the NZ for this to be a penalty or is the NFL rule different than college.  This seemed to be called inconsistently in yesterdays games.

Are you asking about ineligible receivers downfield? If so, it applies on any legal forward pass

If you're talking about offensive pass interference, it applies to any forward pass, whether it crosses the line as long as the contact is more than one yard beyond the LOS