2025 NFL season · final · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2025
The Cowboys were flagged the most in 2025: 133 accepted penalties for 1,136 yards, 7.8 a game. The Rams the fewest, 75. The average team: 6.4 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, 2025
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cowboys | 133 | 7.8 | 1,136 | 134 | +1 | Offensive Holding (31) | +0.76 |
| 2 |  Titans | 129 | 7.6 | 986 | 106 | −23 | Offensive Holding (27) | −0.43 |
| 3 |  Giants | 128 | 7.5 | 1,075 | 135 | +7 | False Start (26) | +1.17 |
| 4 |  Jaguars | 127 | 7.5 | 1,063 | 111 | −16 | False Start (25) | +0.83 |
| 5 |  Broncos | 123 | 7.2 | 1,111 | 117 | −6 | Offensive Holding (26) | −2.46 |
| 6 |  Bears | 120 | 7.1 | 970 | 95 | −25 | False Start (27) | −0.79 |
| 7 |  Chiefs | 119 | 7.0 | 951 | 108 | −11 | Offensive Holding (29) | −1.02 |
| 8 |  Texans | 118 | 6.9 | 989 | 111 | −7 | Offensive Holding (25) | +0.54 |
| 9 |  Saints | 118 | 6.9 | 920 | 116 | −2 | False Start (30) | −0.29 |
| 10 |  Eagles | 117 | 6.9 | 1,073 | 91 | −26 | False Start (24) | −1.33 |
| 11 |  Commanders | 117 | 6.9 | 913 | 116 | −1 | False Start (33) | +0.37 |
| 12 |  Cardinals | 115 | 6.8 | 842 | 97 | −18 | Offensive Holding (28) | 0.00 |
| 13 |  Vikings | 111 | 6.5 | 886 | 110 | −1 | False Start (26) | +0.06 |
| 14 |  Jets | 110 | 6.5 | 909 | 91 | −19 | False Start (25) | +0.05 |
| 15 |  Raiders | 108 | 6.4 | 901 | 117 | +9 | Offensive Holding (21) | +0.10 |
| 16 |  Browns | 108 | 6.4 | 840 | 125 | +17 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.41 |
| 17 |  Falcons | 108 | 6.4 | 819 | 95 | −13 | False Start (26) | −0.01 |
| 18 |  Packers | 105 | 6.2 | 818 | 99 | −6 | False Start (22) | +0.26 |
| 19 |  Chargers | 104 | 6.1 | 787 | 100 | −4 | False Start (27) | +1.27 |
| 20 |  Lions | 104 | 6.1 | 718 | 91 | −13 | False Start (18) | −2.52 |
| 21 |  Colts | 102 | 6.0 | 858 | 103 | +1 | Offensive Holding (22) | +0.34 |
| 22 |  Bills | 101 | 5.9 | 848 | 83 | −18 | Offensive Holding (31) | −0.07 |
| 23 |  Dolphins | 101 | 5.9 | 811 | 104 | +3 | False Start (20) | −0.96 |
| 24 |  Steelers | 101 | 5.9 | 803 | 107 | +6 | Offensive Holding (14) | +2.42 |
| 25 |  Seahawks | 100 | 5.9 | 793 | 117 | +17 | Offensive Holding (19) | +0.80 |
| 26 |  Patriots | 99 | 5.8 | 854 | 108 | +9 | Offensive Holding (21) | +0.18 |
| 27 |  Ravens | 99 | 5.8 | 746 | 106 | +7 | False Start (19) | +0.27 |
| 28 |  Panthers | 95 | 5.6 | 762 | 109 | +14 | False Start (22) | −0.12 |
| 29 |  Buccaneers | 95 | 5.6 | 737 | 128 | +33 | Offensive Holding (26) | −0.07 |
| 30 |  Bengals | 88 | 5.2 | 633 | 104 | +16 | False Start (21) | +1.05 |
| 31 |  49ers | 83 | 4.9 | 651 | 107 | +24 | False Start (14) | −0.39 |
| 32 |  Rams | 75 | 4.4 | 573 | 120 | +45 | Offensive Holding (18) | +0.41 |
What gets flagged, 2025
Every accepted penalty in the 2025 regular season by type: 3,461 flags in 272 games, 12.7 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 672 | 19% | Cowboys (31) |
| False Start | 658 | 19% | Commanders (33) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 279 | 8% | Broncos (20) |
| Defensive Holding | 178 | 5% | Lions (13) |
| Delay of Game | 175 | 5% | Browns (11) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 173 | 5% | Cowboys (10) |
| Defensive Offside | 141 | 4% | Broncos (9) |
| Illegal Formation | 111 | 3% | Titans (8) |
| Face Mask | 95 | 3% | Titans (6) |
| Illegal Contact | 95 | 3% | Giants (5) |
| Roughing the Passer | 92 | 3% | Bears (9) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 75 | 2% | Titans (4) |
| Offensive Pass Interference | 72 | 2% | Steelers (7) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 57 | 2% | Texans (7) |
| Intentional Grounding | 56 | 2% | Bears (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2025?
The Cowboys: 133 accepted penalties for 1,136 yards in 17 games, 7.8 a game.
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Rams, with 75 for 573 yards (4.4 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 672 accepted in the 2025 regular season, 19% of all flags. Then false start (658) and defensive pass interference (279).
Did the flags decide games?
Some did. Weighted by the moment each came, judgment calls (holding, pass interference, roughing; not false starts) helped the Steelers most, +2.42 wins, and hurt the Lions most, −2.52. 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 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019
Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2025 luck rankings