Does the defense have to defend the extra point?

Question

At the end of the controversial Green Bay Packers/Seattle Seahawks game on Monday night, the Seahawks were awarded a touchdown as time expired that gave them a 13-12 point lead. In the ensuing confusion of the referee's decision, the Green Bay Packers left the field. Eventually, the referees had the Seahawks and the Packers come back and line up for the (meaningless) extra point play, and then the game was over.

Did the Green Bay Packers have to defend that? It seems like the Seahawks could have run that play without the defense if the referees set the ball down and started the play clock. Is there a minimum number of defensive players that have to be on the field for a play to be run?

Answer 1

From the NFL rulebook, Rule 5, Section 1, Article 1:

The game is played by two teams of 11 players each. If a snap, free kick, or fair-catch kick is made while a team has fewer than 11 players on the field of play or the end zone, the ball is in play, and there is no penalty.

So from a technical standpoint, the Packers did not have to field any players, as they would not have received a penalty for not having 11 players on the field. They may have been hit with an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty, although since the game was over, it wouldn't have meant much. Rule 5, Section 2, Article 11 (emphasis mine):

Using entering substitutions, legally returning players, substitutions on sidelines, or withdrawn players to confuse opponents, or lingering players leaving the field when being replaced by a substitute, is unsportsmanlike conduct.

However, I doubt that fielding no players because of frustration would qualify as confusing opponents. Bringing the team back to defend the extra point was about Mike McCarthy's integrity. He wanted to stay professional despite miscommunications at the end of the game. McCarthy later stated:

We're in tune with staying true to the integrity of the Green Bay Packers. How we conduct ourselves, being professional during a tough time, during a challenge, a different challenge, but I'm excited about overcoming it. I look at this as an opportunity to put another feather in our cap.

Answer 2

As of 2018, kicking an extra-point after a game winning touchdown as time expires is not required. This was a result of the "Minneapolis Miracle," where eleven Saints players had to come onto the field for the kneel on the extra-point.

Answer 3

For 2019 and later rule 4-8-2c was added so that the game can end without the PAT attempt taking place.

Prior to 2019, Rule 5-1-1 stated that "The game is played by two teams of 11 players each...it is not a foul if a team has fewer than 11 players on the field." The term "team" is not defined in Rule 3, but it seems that a team must have at least one player willing to play, if not two, to be called a team by any reasonable definition of the English word "team". If no members of the team on defense are present, then we must conclude that the team is not present, thus the game cannot be played per Rule 5-1-1, so there would be no foul possible.

(Of course, in the general case, one can imagine the opponent might be awarded a win by forfeit, but the forfeit is not a "game" decision governed by the rules, but rather a league decision.)

Answer 4

Since this is an old question and since this does not currently have a right answer I will summarize this.

1. All rule requirements for players on a field beyond 7 players on the LoS on offense are league mandates and bylaws.
2. Every league has its own bylaws and subrules and these are often not publicly available or they are just "spirits of the rule" where commissioner decides.
3. No game is over until the last play is finished.
4. If a football team left the field before a game was over (even for one play) they would be under heavy scrutiny and almost certainly sanctioned by the league they are in.
5. The referees using league bylaws have the discretion of making decisions on the field.

What this means is that the referee could require a few players or 11 players to be on the field on defense. If a team refused to do whatever the head referee asked then the game would end in forfeit (it happens in college and high school - not often but happens).

I can tell you right now that if an NFL team ends a game in a forfeit it will include sanctions on that team up to the owner. Any NFL team can leave the field and pout about whatever. There is no "rule" in writing against this. But it would probably include one of the most drastic penalties ever (draft picks, money, ownership suspension, coach suspension...).

So to be clear the answer is - a team has to field whatever number of players a referee determines to be the minimum on the field or the game will be a forfeit.

Addendum:

For 2019 and later rule 4-8-2c was added so that the game can end without the PAT attempt taking place.

Patrick is right in his answer on this. However the interpretation has nothing to do with the question. The question is, "Does the defense have to defend the extra point?" Rule 4-8-2c is a rule that allows the offensive team to skip the extra point after the game is over. It has nothing to do with this question - at all.

If the offense decides to take the field the defense is required based on the bylaws of the league to field a team or they would be forfeiting the game. As I have mentioned the forfeiture of a game is probably so steep of a penalty compared to getting your guys on the field that it would just never happen in the NFL.

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Rule Specifics -

1. Patrick did a good job answering his own question here - Is there a minimum number of players needed on the field in the NFL? . Yes referees would not alter a game if a team forgot to have players on the field for a game - had a play or two with 9 or 10 players. But if a team on purpose did not field players, the referees would invoke the rules talked about in this question/answer.
2. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-6-grades-browns-get-a-d-for-blowout-loss-to-steelers-packers-get-an-f-for-ugly-performance/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfair_act#:~:text=Under%20Rule%2017%20of%20the,onward%20and%20resume%20play%20from. Both of these talk about Rule 17 which is basically an umbrella rule that covers anything not in the rulebook because literally they would have to write a couple thousand more rules to cover anything that could happen. Also most of these rules would be for acts that are so bad that no team in their right mind would do them - trying to hurt someone, jumping offsides over and over, ejected player not leaving a game and so on. Try finding a rule for these things which are obviously not legal.
3. There is another rule that should be looked at here - http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/image/rulebook/pdfs/16_Rule13_Non-Player_Conduct.pdf. If it were a playoff game there really wouldn't be a way to enforce something, that being the refs adding more points to a score or game... However the refs (probably consulting with the commissioner's office) would have the ability to add points to a score which could effect playoff seeding.
4. What would actually happen is this

ARTICLE 3. PENALTIES FOR UNFAIR ACTS The Commissioner’s powers under this Section 2 include the imposition of monetary fines and draft-choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved in unfair acts, and, if appropriate, the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game, either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred. In the event of rescheduling a game, the Commissioner will be guided by the procedures specified in 17-1-5–11, above. In all cases, the Commissioner will conduct a full investigation, including the opportunity for hearings, use of game video, and any other procedure the Commissioner deems appropriate.

So walking off a field would be enforced by the commish. I am sure at the very least it would include a heavy fine. If it were done in an extreme way it would probably also include points added to the other team or loss of draft picks or alont those lines.