2022 NFL season · final · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2022
The Cardinals were flagged the most in 2022: 117 accepted penalties for 901 yards, 6.9 a game. The Falcons the fewest, 68. The average team: 5.6 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, 2022
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cardinals | 117 | 6.9 | 901 | 94 | −23 | False Start (25) | +0.29 |
| 2 |  Broncos | 113 | 6.6 | 970 | 106 | −7 | False Start (23) | +0.53 |
| 3 |  Raiders | 113 | 6.6 | 932 | 93 | −20 | Offensive Holding (20) | −0.95 |
| 4 |  Titans | 111 | 6.5 | 956 | 115 | +4 | Offensive Holding (24) | +0.24 |
| 5 |  Dolphins | 111 | 6.5 | 881 | 84 | −27 | False Start (18) | +0.56 |
| 6 |  Seahawks | 106 | 6.2 | 854 | 98 | −8 | False Start (23) | −0.59 |
| 7 |  Giants | 106 | 6.2 | 827 | 111 | +5 | False Start (19) | +0.24 |
| 8 |  Panthers | 104 | 6.1 | 862 | 104 | 0 | False Start (22) | +0.08 |
| 9 |  Cowboys | 104 | 6.1 | 842 | 98 | −6 | Offensive Holding (21) | +0.51 |
| 10 |  Patriots | 104 | 6.1 | 841 | 89 | −15 | False Start (20) | −0.50 |
| 11 |  Browns | 102 | 6.0 | 865 | 88 | −14 | Offensive Holding (28) | −1.02 |
| 12 |  Saints | 99 | 5.8 | 841 | 92 | −7 | False Start (25) | −0.03 |
| 13 |  Buccaneers | 99 | 5.8 | 793 | 97 | −2 | False Start (23) | −0.29 |
| 14 |  Bills | 92 | 5.8 | 709 | 89 | −3 | Offensive Holding (20) | −0.66 |
| 15 |  49ers | 94 | 5.5 | 730 | 96 | +2 | Offensive Holding (23) | +0.02 |
| 16 |  Steelers | 94 | 5.5 | 711 | 96 | +2 | Offensive Holding (17) | −0.51 |
| 17 |  Commanders | 92 | 5.4 | 805 | 85 | −7 | Offensive Holding (18) | −0.85 |
| 18 |  Jets | 91 | 5.4 | 866 | 90 | −1 | False Start (22) | −0.33 |
| 19 |  Lions | 90 | 5.3 | 773 | 103 | +13 | Offensive Holding (25) | −0.09 |
| 20 |  Eagles | 90 | 5.3 | 682 | 95 | +5 | False Start (20) | −0.07 |
| 21 |  Jaguars | 90 | 5.3 | 674 | 90 | 0 | False Start (20) | +0.25 |
| 22 |  Colts | 89 | 5.2 | 794 | 89 | 0 | Offensive Holding (19) | −0.20 |
| 23 |  Packers | 89 | 5.2 | 747 | 100 | +11 | Offensive Holding (23) | +0.41 |
| 24 |  Vikings | 88 | 5.2 | 684 | 111 | +23 | False Start (21) | +2.07 |
| 25 |  Texans | 88 | 5.2 | 644 | 95 | +7 | False Start (19) | −0.01 |
| 26 |  Chiefs | 87 | 5.1 | 838 | 98 | +11 | Offensive Holding (22) | −0.50 |
| 27 |  Bengals | 81 | 5.1 | 623 | 100 | +19 | Offensive Holding (16) | +1.13 |
| 28 |  Ravens | 82 | 4.8 | 678 | 79 | −3 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.45 |
| 29 |  Chargers | 81 | 4.8 | 635 | 80 | −1 | False Start (22) | +0.17 |
| 30 |  Bears | 80 | 4.7 | 754 | 84 | +4 | Offensive Holding (19) | −0.24 |
| 31 |  Rams | 76 | 4.5 | 655 | 82 | +6 | False Start (17) | −0.12 |
| 32 |  Falcons | 68 | 4.0 | 594 | 100 | +32 | Offensive Holding (19) | +0.90 |
What gets flagged, 2022
Every accepted penalty in the 2022 regular season by type: 3,031 flags in 271 games, 11.2 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 594 | 20% | Browns (28) |
| False Start | 576 | 19% | Cardinals (25) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 224 | 7% | Chiefs (14) |
| Defensive Holding | 210 | 7% | Saints (14) |
| Delay of Game | 158 | 5% | Vikings (10) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 156 | 5% | Rams (10) |
| Defensive Offside | 135 | 4% | Titans (11) |
| Roughing the Passer | 91 | 3% | Giants (7) |
| Ineligible Downfield Pass | 84 | 3% | Steelers (7) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 82 | 3% | Cardinals (9) |
| Face Mask | 77 | 3% | Chargers (5) |
| Illegal Block Above the Waist | 67 | 2% | Raiders (7) |
| Illegal Contact | 65 | 2% | Lions (6) |
| Offensive Pass Interference | 61 | 2% | Giants (6) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 55 | 2% | Saints (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2022?
The Cardinals: 117 accepted penalties for 901 yards in 17 games, 6.9 a game.
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Falcons, with 68 for 594 yards (4.0 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 594 accepted in the 2022 regular season, 20% of all flags. Then false start (576) and defensive pass interference (224).
Did the flags decide games?
Some did. Weighted by the moment each came, judgment calls (holding, pass interference, roughing; not false starts) helped the Vikings most, +2.07 wins, and hurt the Browns most, −1.02. 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 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019
Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2022 luck rankings