Was the Steelers post-TD unsportsmanlike enforced properly?

UPDATE: After publication, our officiating source said the original interpretation we reported could no longer be supported. There was definitely a difference of opinion at the league office between two different interpretations, but the final decision was that this foul would have been properly assessed on the extra-point try and that there was no option to assess on the kickoff. The original post is shown below, and we have marked off the section that is no longer seen as the correct interpretation.

After a Steelers touchdown by running back Jaylen Warren, receiver D.K. Metcalf picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct flag off camera. Referee Alex Kemp announced this was to be enforced on the extra-point attempt. After addressing Bills coach Sean McDermott — who was likely getting an assist from his officiating specialist John Parry — Kemp announced the unsportsmanlike would be enforced on the ensuing kickoff, which appeared to be an incorrect enforcement. CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore stated this was incorrectly enforced on the kickoff, which we agreed with initially — until we checked with our sources to confirm.

Post-score fouls by either team were enforced on the kickoff until 2019, when the option was introduced to enforce fouls that follow touchdowns — either fouls by the scoring team or the opponent — on the extra-point attempt.

The new kickoff format was introduced in 2024, and the post-touchdown fouls had to be enforced on the extra-point attempt. Rule 14-2-3 currently states, “On a touchdown, the penalty, whether a live ball or dead ball foul or a foul between downs, is enforced on the Try.”

The way the rule is written leads to a singular conclusion that the foul is enforced on the extra-point attempt no matter what. But there actually is room for interpretation.

Dead-ball fouls are defined as occurring in the continuing action of the previous play, and between-downs fouls occur after the preceding down has been administered. Fouls against an official that occur in the dead-ball period are enforced as between-downs fouls, which means it is enforced as if it happened before the snap of the next down.

The word “on” is very operative in the rule interpretation: fouls “on” the touchdown are those that occur in the administration of that down, and the between-downs fouls are only the ones that are enforced in that manner. Those that occur between downs, are deemed to be “on” the extra-point attempt.

In this case, the ball had been spotted for the 1-point attempt and whistles were heard with about 28 seconds on the play clock. (The clock counts from 40 as soon as the touchdown signal is dropped.) The mechanics are clearly in the pre-snap of the extra-point down, and it is now the option of the Bills to push back the snap or enforce on the kickoff.

An officiating source initially informed us that the league does consider this to be correctly enforced, before retracting that assertion. This rule does need clearer delineation as to when a between-downs foul is enforced with suitable examples listed in the casebook.