2026 NFL season · after Week 3 · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2026
The Packers have been flagged the most in 2026: 32 accepted penalties for 276 yards, 10.7 a game. The Vikings the fewest, 6. The average team: 7.1 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, 2026
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Packers | 32 | 10.7 | 276 | 22 | −10 | Offensive Holding (8) | −0.46 |
| 2 |  Jets | 21 | 10.5 | 204 | 18 | −3 | Offensive Holding (5) | −0.18 |
| 3 |  Panthers | 20 | 10.0 | 147 | 18 | −2 | False Start (5) | −0.01 |
| 4 |  Bears | 20 | 10.0 | 115 | 14 | −6 | Offensive Holding (5) | −0.09 |
| 5 |  Bengals | 19 | 9.5 | 125 | 17 | −2 | False Start (5) | −0.22 |
| 6 |  Lions | 18 | 9.0 | 119 | 11 | −7 | False Start (4) | −0.19 |
| 7 |  Browns | 17 | 8.5 | 125 | 10 | −7 | Offensive Holding (6) | +0.20 |
| 8 |  Ravens | 17 | 8.5 | 120 | 9 | −8 | False Start (4) | −0.22 |
| 9 |  Broncos | 17 | 8.5 | 105 | 10 | −7 | Offensive Holding (4) | +0.07 |
| 10 |  Texans | 16 | 8.0 | 189 | 22 | +6 | False Start (5) | +0.09 |
| 11 |  Chiefs | 15 | 7.5 | 146 | 12 | −3 | Offensive Holding (5) | −0.23 |
| 12 |  Bills | 15 | 7.5 | 131 | 17 | +2 | Defensive Holding (5) | +0.12 |
| 13 |  Dolphins | 15 | 7.5 | 111 | 13 | −2 | Offensive Holding (5) | −0.13 |
| 14 |  Chargers | 15 | 7.5 | 109 | 14 | −1 | False Start (7) | +0.08 |
| 15 |  Falcons | 21 | 7.0 | 218 | 22 | +1 | Offensive Holding (9) | −0.29 |
| 16 |  Cardinals | 14 | 7.0 | 159 | 10 | −4 | Defensive Pass Interference (3) | −0.09 |
| 17 |  Cowboys | 14 | 7.0 | 122 | 15 | +1 | Offensive Holding (3) | +0.06 |
| 18 |  Buccaneers | 14 | 7.0 | 101 | 13 | −1 | False Start (4) | −0.12 |
| 19 |  Giants | 13 | 6.5 | 134 | 15 | +2 | False Start (5) | +0.09 |
| 20 |  Seahawks | 13 | 6.5 | 124 | 13 | 0 | False Start (5) | +0.02 |
| 21 |  Patriots | 13 | 6.5 | 81 | 15 | +2 | Delay of Game (3) | +0.04 |
| 22 |  Steelers | 12 | 6.0 | 111 | 15 | +3 | Defensive Holding (2) | +0.05 |
| 23 |  Raiders | 12 | 6.0 | 71 | 16 | +4 | False Start (4) | +0.17 |
| 24 |  Saints | 11 | 5.5 | 88 | 15 | +4 | False Start (3) | +0.16 |
| 25 |  Commanders | 11 | 5.5 | 83 | 10 | −1 | Delay of Game (2) | −0.03 |
| 26 |  Titans | 11 | 5.5 | 70 | 12 | +1 | False Start (2) | 0.00 |
| 27 |  Rams | 10 | 5.0 | 93 | 5 | −5 | Offensive Holding (3) | −0.16 |
| 28 |  49ers | 9 | 4.5 | 99 | 11 | +2 | Offensive Holding (4) | +0.11 |
| 29 |  Eagles | 9 | 4.5 | 75 | 13 | +4 | Offensive Holding (6) | −0.06 |
| 30 |  Colts | 9 | 4.5 | 59 | 18 | +9 | Delay of Game (3) | +0.39 |
| 31 |  Jaguars | 7 | 3.5 | 43 | 21 | +14 | False Start (2) | −0.05 |
| 32 |  Vikings | 6 | 3.0 | 40 | 20 | +14 | False Start (3) | +0.89 |
What gets flagged, 2026
Every accepted penalty in the 2026 regular season by type so far: 466 flags in 33 games, 14.1 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 107 | 23% | Falcons (9) |
| False Start | 91 | 20% | Chargers (7) |
| Delay of Game | 32 | 7% | Jets (3) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 31 | 7% | Giants (4) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 22 | 5% | Packers (4) |
| Defensive Holding | 21 | 5% | Bills (5) |
| Defensive Offside | 19 | 4% | Bengals (4) |
| Roughing the Passer | 13 | 3% | Packers (3) |
| Illegal Block Above the Waist | 12 | 3% | Patriots (2) |
| Illegal Formation | 12 | 3% | Packers (2) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 12 | 3% | Browns (3) |
| Face Mask | 11 | 2% | Lions (2) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 10 | 2% | Jets (1) |
| Illegal Contact | 9 | 2% | Packers (2) |
| Illegal Shift | 9 | 2% | Panthers (3) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2026?
The Packers: 32 accepted penalties for 276 yards in 3 games, 10.7 a game (after Week 3).
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Vikings, with 6 for 40 yards (3.0 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 107 accepted in the 2026 regular season, 23% of all flags. Then false start (91) and delay of game (32).
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, +0.89 wins, and hurt the Packers most, −0.46. 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: 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019
Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2026 luck rankings