2021 NFL season · final · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2021
The Cowboys were flagged the most in 2021: 127 accepted penalties for 1,103 yards, 7.5 a game. The Packers the fewest, 69. The average team: 5.9 a game.
Accepted penalties, as the league counts them: declined and offsetting flags aren’t included. “Drawn” is flags on a team’s opponents. The last column is ours: what the judgment calls were worth to the team in wins, each weighted by the moment it came (a flag in a decided game counts for nothing). Referee calls, 2021
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cowboys | 127 | 7.5 | 1,103 | 119 | −8 | Offensive Holding (31) | −1.10 |
| 2 |  Raiders | 124 | 7.3 | 1,104 | 99 | −25 | Offensive Holding (27) | +0.54 |
| 3 |  Chargers | 116 | 6.8 | 1,033 | 99 | −17 | Offensive Holding (22) | −0.71 |
| 4 |  Cardinals | 114 | 6.7 | 990 | 99 | −15 | False Start (26) | −0.53 |
| 5 |  Texans | 114 | 6.7 | 978 | 89 | −25 | Offensive Holding (26) | −0.12 |
| 6 |  Bills | 113 | 6.6 | 980 | 102 | −11 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.69 |
| 7 |  Browns | 112 | 6.6 | 1,035 | 98 | −14 | Offensive Holding (25) | +0.79 |
| 8 |  Vikings | 111 | 6.5 | 1,043 | 93 | −18 | Offensive Holding (31) | −1.09 |
| 9 |  Chiefs | 110 | 6.5 | 915 | 116 | +6 | Offensive Holding (28) | −0.49 |
| 10 |  Panthers | 107 | 6.3 | 864 | 108 | +1 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.15 |
| 11 |  Eagles | 107 | 6.3 | 842 | 92 | −15 | Offensive Holding (19) | −0.51 |
| 12 |  Bears | 106 | 6.2 | 914 | 93 | −13 | False Start (20) | −0.34 |
| 13 |  Steelers | 106 | 6.2 | 831 | 123 | +17 | False Start (23) | +1.14 |
| 14 |  Dolphins | 105 | 6.2 | 825 | 109 | +4 | False Start (21) | −0.14 |
| 15 |  Lions | 105 | 6.2 | 824 | 87 | −18 | False Start (26) | +1.03 |
| 16 |  Jaguars | 104 | 6.1 | 856 | 104 | 0 | False Start (26) | +0.52 |
| 17 |  Titans | 103 | 6.1 | 973 | 118 | +15 | Offensive Holding (19) | −0.97 |
| 18 |  Jets | 103 | 6.1 | 860 | 84 | −19 | Offensive Holding (17) | −0.22 |
| 19 |  Ravens | 102 | 6.0 | 852 | 98 | −4 | Offensive Holding (29) | −0.94 |
| 20 |  49ers | 101 | 5.9 | 1,056 | 94 | −7 | Offensive Holding (22) | −0.77 |
| 21 |  Saints | 98 | 5.8 | 811 | 89 | −9 | False Start (20) | −0.19 |
| 22 |  Seahawks | 97 | 5.7 | 803 | 96 | −1 | False Start (14) | +0.07 |
| 23 |  Buccaneers | 96 | 5.6 | 863 | 79 | −17 | False Start (16) | −0.50 |
| 24 |  Patriots | 95 | 5.6 | 854 | 100 | +5 | Offensive Holding (25) | +0.88 |
| 25 |  Falcons | 92 | 5.4 | 753 | 118 | +26 | False Start (25) | +0.47 |
| 26 |  Giants | 88 | 5.2 | 674 | 107 | +19 | False Start (21) | +0.71 |
| 27 |  Broncos | 83 | 4.9 | 711 | 104 | +21 | False Start (18) | +0.41 |
| 28 |  Washington | 82 | 4.8 | 743 | 96 | +14 | False Start (17) | +0.42 |
| 29 |  Rams | 76 | 4.5 | 637 | 87 | +11 | Offensive Holding (13) | +0.71 |
| 30 |  Colts | 75 | 4.4 | 673 | 109 | +34 | Offensive Holding (21) | +1.35 |
| 31 |  Bengals | 72 | 4.2 | 620 | 116 | +44 | Offensive Holding (19) | +0.75 |
| 32 |  Packers | 69 | 4.1 | 678 | 88 | +19 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.34 |
What gets flagged, 2021
Every accepted penalty in the 2021 regular season by type: 3,213 flags in 272 games, 11.8 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 656 | 20% | Cowboys (31) |
| False Start | 571 | 18% | Cardinals (26) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 300 | 9% | 49ers (20) |
| Delay of Game | 161 | 5% | Lions (9) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 160 | 5% | Bears (11) |
| Defensive Holding | 156 | 5% | Chargers (12) |
| Defensive Offside | 154 | 5% | Cowboys (9) |
| Roughing the Passer | 149 | 5% | Chargers (8) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 113 | 4% | Eagles (8) |
| Offensive Pass Interference | 78 | 2% | Steelers (5) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 75 | 2% | Dolphins (6) |
| Face Mask | 69 | 2% | Titans (6) |
| Illegal Block Above the Waist | 67 | 2% | Browns (5) |
| Illegal Formation | 65 | 2% | Browns (6) |
| Ineligible Downfield Pass | 43 | 1% | Bears (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2021?
The Cowboys: 127 accepted penalties for 1,103 yards in 17 games, 7.5 a game.
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Packers, with 69 for 678 yards (4.1 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 656 accepted in the 2021 regular season, 20% of all flags. Then false start (571) and defensive pass interference (300).
Did the flags decide games?
Some did. Weighted by the moment each came, judgment calls (holding, pass interference, roughing; not false starts) helped the Colts most, +1.35 wins, and hurt the Cowboys most, −1.10. Flag counts and call luck are related, not the same: across 224 team-seasons since 2019 the correlation is −0.26. A false start costs five yards; a pass interference flag on third down late in a close game can swing it.
Other seasons: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2020 · 2019
Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2021 luck rankings