We're six weeks through the NFL season, and we have more questions than answers. Many teams which began the season as postseason locks and Super Bowl favorites are not playing up to par. In the AFC, the Bills have lost two games in a row, the Ravens are without Lamar Jackson and last place in the North, while the Chiefs are finally starting to regain confidence after a dreadful start of their own. In the NFC, the Super Bowl champion Eagles have lost two straight games – including one to the lowly New York Giants – while the Packers and Lions are far from unblemished. These teams are flawed, which makes for a wide-open race come playoff time.
One element of the game these teams have little control of, however, is the officiating. Over the course of a full season, typically the least-disciplined teams lead the league in penalties, while groups like the Chiefs and Steelers – two teams with longtime head coaches in place in Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin – aren't penalized at that high of a clip.
Through six weeks, however, that theory has been tested. How many flags are thrown in any NFL game can depend a lot on the personnel and the officiating crew. This season, for example, referees Alex Moore, Adrian Hill, Shawn Hochuli and their crews have thrown more flags than any other officials – Moore is leading the way with 109 flags in just six games. The NFL standings, when organized by most penalties, should give us some insight into potential biases and, unfortunately, some of the worst calls of the season.
AFC East
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Miami Dolphins | 1-5 | 6.3 |
2 | New York Jets | 0-6 | 7.3 |
3 | Buffalo Bills | 4-2 | 7.3 |
4 | New England Patriots | 4-2 | 8.8 |
Penalties and penalty yardage don't always correspond with success. While the Dolphins and Jets are two of the more disciplined teams in the NFL, their advantage in that department has done little to help them on the field. As for the Patriots, if they want to be taken seriously as a contender in the East, they need to cut down on the penalties. A Mike Vrabel-coached team should not be leading the league in this statistic, period.
AFC North
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 2-4 | 5.7 |
2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-1 | 5.8 |
3 | Baltimore Ravens | 1-5 | 6.3 |
4 | Cleveland Browns | 1-5 | 7.2 |
The Bengals being at the top of this list is not something I saw coming, but that success hasn't translated in between the whistles in large part due to Joe Burrow's injury. The Steelers haven't always been so disciplined under Mike Tomlin, but it's encouraging to see this veteran-led squad take after its coach for a change. As for the Browns...I'm not sure where they go from here. Yes, this group is young, but Kevin Stefanski ought to at least limit penalties. If not, what's he good for, anyway?
AFC South
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Texans | 2-3 | 6.8 |
2 | Indianapolis Colts | 5-1 | 7.3 |
3 | Tennessee Titans | 1-5 | 8.0 |
4 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-2 | 8.7 |
The AFC South doesn't make a lot of sense to me, personally. On paper, the Houston Texans seem like one of the most talented teams in the division, yet they're just 2-3. At least they're disciplined and not beating themselves, but if anything that should make the fanbase even more concerned. As for the Colts and certainly the Jaguars, if they hope to make a serious playoff run in the AFC, they cannot afford to beat themselves.
AFC West
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-4 | 6.2 |
2 | Kansas City Chiefs | 3-3 | 7.0 |
3 | Los Angeles Chargers | 4-2 | 7.7 |
4 | Denver Broncos | 4-2 | 8.2 |
Ah, we meet the endless narrative once again. While the Chiefs make headlines any time a call goes their way, in reality they are not among the least-penalized teams in the league. In fact, they rank middle of the pack, which is a bit surprising given A) the narrative and B) they've won three Super Bowls since 2020 and are coached by the great Andy Reid. Their zero-penalty game against the Lions aside, the Chiefs still can clean up their act.
NFC East
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia Eagles | 4-2 | 6.8 |
2 | Washington Commanders | 3-3 | 7.0 |
3 | Dallas Cowboys | 2-3-1 | 8.0 |
4 | New York Giants | 2-4 | 8.2 |
It should come as no surprise that a team led by a rookie quarterback is among the most-penalized in the NFL. The New York Giants are a young team and should get a lot better at not drawing the attention of referees in due time. For now, though, it is on the shoulders of Jaxson Dart and head coach Brian Daboll to be better.
NFC North
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Detroit Lions | 4-2 | 6.0 |
2 | Green Bay Packers | 3-1-1 | 8.0 |
3 | Chicago Bears | 3-2 | 8.6 |
4 | Minnesota Vikings | 3-2 | 8.8 |
The Lions are an outlier in the North despite the one-game suspension handed out to defensive back Brian Branch for his postgame brawl on Sunday night. Rather, the Packers, Bears and Vikings all rank near the top of the league in penalties per game. That's not great! Considering all four teams in this division are about .500 and competing for playoff spots, razor-thin margins could decide whose season continues, and who's left watching from home.
NFC South
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Atlanta Falcons | 3-2 | 5.4 |
2 | Carolina Panthers | 3-3 | 6.0 |
3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-1 | 6.7 |
4 | New Orleans Saints | 1-5 | 8.3 |
If the Falcons proved anything on Monday night, it's that they belong in the NFC Playoff conversation. Atlanta handled their business against the Buffalo Bills – a team many pundits deemed AFC favorites before the start of the regular season. It also helps that Atlanta is the least-penalized team in the NFL. If the Falcons don't get in their own way, there's no telling how far they can go with an offense led by Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Michael Penix Jr.
NFC West
Rank | Team | Record | Penalties/game |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles Rams | 4-2 | 5.5 |
2 | Seattle Seahawks | 4-2 | 5.7 |
3 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-2 | 6.8 |
4 | Arizona Cardinals | 2-4 | 8.0 |
Both the Rams and Seahawks rank among the lowest-penalized teams in the NFL, while the 49ers sit in the middle of the pack. All three of these contenders are 4-2, and there's a really good possibility that they're all playoff teams come January. This division really is that good, minus the Cardinals of course. The Niners feat is all the more impressive considering the number of starters missing time with injury on offense and defense. Naturally, more penalties as a result is expected, but that hasn't been the case by the bay.