Who’s the Most Penalized Team in the NFL?

See which team is the most penalized in the NFL and learn about the reasons behind the penalties.

The New England Patriots

Since the 2016 NFL season, the New England Patriots have been the most penalized team in the league. In the 2016 season, they had 118 penalties for 1,004 yards. That’s an average of 9.8 penalties and 83.7 yards per game. In the 2017 season, they had 102 penalties for 934 yards.

Spygate

The New England Patriots were fined $250,000 and stripped of a first-round draft pick by the NFL on Wednesday for videotaping the New York Jets’ defensive signals, the same day commissioner Roger Goodell handed out stiff discipline to three other teams for various rules violations.

The Patriots were caught videotaping the Jets’ defensive signals from an sideline location during their 38-14 season-opening victory Sunday. The team admitted its guilt and issued a statement of apology Tuesday.

“This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field,” Goodell said in a statement.

Deflategate

In May of 2015, an NFL investigation found that the Patriots had used underinflated footballs in their AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The investigation, which came to be known as “Deflategate,” found that 11 of the 12 Patriots’ game balls were underinflated by 2 pounds each. As a result of the findings, Pats quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for four games, and the team was fined $1 million and docked two draft picks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the most penalized team in the NFL, according to data from 2017. The team was penalized 140 times that season, which is the most of any team in the league. The Steelers have been penalized an average of 118 times per season over the past five years.

The “Bountygate” Scandal

In 2012, the Pittsburgh Steelers were involved in a scandal involving the abuse of players. The team was injuring opposing players in order to get them to leave the game. This was done by giving players bonuses for getting other players to leave the game. The team was fined and lost draft picks as a result of this scandal.

The Mike Mitchell Hit

On Monday, December 4, 2017, Steelers’ safety Mike Mitchell delivered a hit to Ravens’ tight end Maxx Williams. The hit was flagged for both unnecessary roughness and taunting. After the game, Mitchell defended his hit, saying that he did not believe it was dirty because he led with his shoulder and not his helmet.

The flag on the play was for taunting, as Mitchell appeared to stand over Williams after the hit and say something to him. This is what caused many people to label the hit as dirty, as it is considered bad sportsmanship to taunt an opponent after making a hard hit. However, Mitchell did not seem to agree with this assessment, as he said that he was just trying to “fire up” his team and that he did not believe he did anything wrong.

This hit led to a lot of debate on whether or not it was a dirty play. Some people believed that Mitchell should have been ejected from the game, while others thought that the hit was clean but the taunting afterwards crossed the line. Ultimately, it is up to the officials to decide whether or not a play is dirty and they deemed this one worthy of a penalty.

The Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are the most penalized team in the NFL. In 2019, they were penalized 153 times for 1,358 yards. That’s an average of 9.5 penalties for 76.8 yards per game. The second most penalized team was the Oakland Raiders with 140 penalties for 1,271 yards.

The Dez Bryant Non-Catch

In the 2014 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Dez Bryant appeared to make an acrobatic, leaping catch near the goal line that would have put the Cowboys up by four points with under five minutes to play. But upon review, officials determined that Bryant did not complete the “process of the catch” as he failed to maintain possession of the ball throughout the act of going to the ground. The play was ruled an incompletion, and the Cowboys would go on to lose 26-21.

The Ezekiel Elliott Suspension

The National Football League suspended Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games Friday for violating the personal conduct policy.

Elliott was not charged with a crime by the Columbus, Ohio, authorities who investigated allegations made by his former girlfriend, Tiffany Thompson. But the NFL can suspend a player even if he is not convicted of a crime.

The NFL’s personal conduct policy says that players “are held to a higher standard and must conduct themselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the game, and is lawful.”

Elliott’s suspension comes as the NFL is facing intense criticism for its handling of players accused of domestic violence.

The Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders have been the most penalized team in the NFL for the past four seasons. In the 2015 season, they had 128 penalties for 1,070 yards. That’s an average of 8.4 penalties per game, and 67.5 yards per game. That’s the most in the NFL in both categories.

The “Tuck Rule” Game

The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They were founded on January 30, 1960, and played their first regular season game on September 11, 1961. The Raiders’ charter members were former San Francisco 49ers players Wayne Valley, George Atkinson, Jr., Pervis Atkins, and Jack Ryan. The team has won three Super Bowl Championships (XI, XV, and XVIII) and one AFL-League Championship (1967). They have also played in ten AFC Championship Games and four AFC Wild Card Games.

The “Holy Roller” Game

On September 10, 1978, the Oakland Raiders were playing the San Diego Chargers at San Diego Stadium. The Raiders were trailing 14-12 with just seconds remaining in the game. On the final play of the game, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler scrambled around in the pocket and then threw a pass toward the end zone. The pass was partially blocked by Chargers defensive lineman Gerry Feehery, and then deflected by Raiders wide receiver Dave Casper before finally being caught by Casper in the end zone for a touchdown.

The touchdown gave the Raiders an 18-14 lead, but it also resulted in one of the most controversial endings to an NFL game ever. Because of the way the ball bounced around before being caught by Casper, some people felt that it was a forward pass and should have been ruled incomplete. Others felt that it was a lateral pass and should have been ruled a touchdown. After consulting with his officiating crew, referee Jerry Markbreit decided to rule it a touchdown, much to the chargrin of Chargers fans everywhere.

The play came to be known as the “Holy Roller” game, and it resulted in a change in NFL rules concerning lateral passes. Now, if a forward pass is ruled incomplete but it is clear that the quarterback intended it to be a lateral pass, then it will be ruled a lateral and not an incompletion.