NFL also cracking down on ineligible player downfield infractions?

To the dismay of players, coaches, fans and other observers, NFL officials routinely flagged competitors for actions deemed to be taunting of opponents during games played over the first two weeks of the 2021 season. 

Interestingly, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted Thursday that former NFL referee and current NBC Sports rules analyst Terry McAulay says there have already been 14 ineligible player downfield penalties this season. To compare, there was one such occurrence of that foul over the first two weeks of the 2020 campaign.

The NFL made it clear throughout the offseason and summer that refs would look to enforce rules regarding acts of taunting during games but never publicly addressed ineligible offensive linemen blocking downfield during passing plays before September. Time will tell if the last two weeks merely produced statistical anomalies or if linemen will have to be more careful on longer-lasting passing plays moving forward. 

Meanwhile, NFL sources said earlier this week "there are no immediate plans" for the league to lessen or cancel its crack-down on taunting, largely because multiple coaches are in favor of eliminating those types of celebrations from games: