Intentional Encroachment

[dolphins4life]

I've seen it three times.  All three games involved the Packers.

2020 NFC title game

2022 Week 16 vs the Dolphins, where the Dolphins did it.

2022 Week 18 vs the Lions.

I predicted that they were going to do it before they did it.

The Lions wisely declined the penalty.  I didn't even know you were allowed to decline Encroachment penalties.

Could the Packers have kept trying to do it?  Would this have resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty? 

If that strategy didn't work, could you in theory, tell a player to shove the ref before the snap?  That would get the result you wanted, a first down for the opponent without you having to use a timeout.