2023 NFL season · final · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2023
The Jets were flagged the most in 2023: 124 accepted penalties for 945 yards, 7.3 a game. The Raiders the fewest, 75. The average team: 5.7 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 points a game. Referee calls, 2023
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, pts a game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jets | 124 | 7.3 | 945 | 93 | −31 | False Start (31) | −1.56 |
| 2 |  Cowboys | 115 | 6.8 | 964 | 103 | −12 | Offensive Holding (25) | +0.64 |
| 3 |  Browns | 115 | 6.8 | 897 | 118 | +3 | Offensive Holding (21) | −0.10 |
| 4 |  Texans | 114 | 6.7 | 937 | 100 | −14 | Offensive Holding (20) | −0.93 |
| 5 |  Seahawks | 110 | 6.5 | 944 | 103 | −7 | False Start (23) | −0.91 |
| 6 |  Titans | 110 | 6.5 | 882 | 98 | −12 | False Start (30) | −0.99 |
| 7 |  Bills | 106 | 6.2 | 883 | 99 | −7 | Offensive Holding (24) | −1.13 |
| 8 |  Packers | 104 | 6.1 | 846 | 95 | −9 | False Start (19) | +0.45 |
| 9 |  Panthers | 103 | 6.1 | 845 | 89 | −14 | False Start (27) | +0.42 |
| 10 |  Ravens | 102 | 6.0 | 955 | 106 | +4 | False Start (19) | −0.90 |
| 11 |  49ers | 101 | 5.9 | 933 | 94 | −7 | False Start (17) | −0.38 |
| 12 |  Cardinals | 101 | 5.9 | 859 | 91 | −10 | False Start (23) | +0.90 |
| 13 |  Buccaneers | 100 | 5.9 | 751 | 93 | −7 | False Start (23) | +0.54 |
| 14 |  Bears | 99 | 5.8 | 853 | 72 | −27 | False Start (24) | −2.57 |
| 15 |  Broncos | 99 | 5.8 | 749 | 99 | 0 | False Start (19) | +0.66 |
| 16 |  Lions | 97 | 5.7 | 843 | 91 | −6 | Offensive Holding (19) | −1.27 |
| 17 |  Dolphins | 97 | 5.7 | 767 | 96 | −1 | Offensive Holding (25) | −0.97 |
| 18 |  Saints | 96 | 5.6 | 846 | 102 | +6 | False Start (26) | +0.16 |
| 19 |  Chiefs | 96 | 5.6 | 845 | 73 | −23 | Offensive Holding (25) | −1.04 |
| 20 |  Colts | 95 | 5.6 | 685 | 100 | +5 | False Start (20) | +0.28 |
| 21 |  Eagles | 94 | 5.5 | 775 | 107 | +13 | False Start (23) | +0.18 |
| 22 |  Rams | 89 | 5.2 | 720 | 105 | +16 | Offensive Holding (18) | +0.56 |
| 23 |  Giants | 89 | 5.2 | 711 | 99 | +10 | Offensive Holding (22) | −0.65 |
| 24 |  Patriots | 89 | 5.2 | 676 | 75 | −14 | Offensive Holding (18) | −0.68 |
| 25 |  Vikings | 89 | 5.2 | 670 | 111 | +22 | False Start (18) | +1.44 |
| 26 |  Commanders | 87 | 5.1 | 701 | 99 | +12 | False Start (20) | +0.33 |
| 27 |  Steelers | 86 | 5.1 | 753 | 90 | +4 | Offensive Holding (13) | +0.88 |
| 28 |  Falcons | 84 | 4.9 | 743 | 104 | +20 | False Start (21) | +1.23 |
| 29 |  Jaguars | 83 | 4.9 | 644 | 108 | +25 | False Start (26) | +2.56 |
| 30 |  Chargers | 79 | 4.6 | 725 | 103 | +24 | Offensive Holding (14) | +0.38 |
| 31 |  Bengals | 76 | 4.5 | 614 | 92 | +16 | False Start (13) | +0.70 |
| 32 |  Raiders | 75 | 4.4 | 629 | 96 | +21 | False Start (16) | +1.75 |
What gets flagged, 2023
Every accepted penalty in the 2023 regular season by type: 3,104 flags in 272 games, 11.4 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| False Start | 618 | 20% | Jets (31) |
| Offensive Holding | 560 | 18% | Cowboys (25) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 270 | 9% | Texans (14) |
| Defensive Holding | 176 | 6% | Falcons (13) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 164 | 5% | Jets (9) |
| Delay of Game | 157 | 5% | Vikings (11) |
| Defensive Offside | 146 | 5% | Cowboys (16) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 93 | 3% | Browns (10) |
| Roughing the Passer | 93 | 3% | Commanders (6) |
| Illegal Contact | 89 | 3% | Jets (7) |
| Face Mask | 87 | 3% | Ravens (7) |
| Offensive Pass Interference | 70 | 2% | Broncos (5) |
| Illegal Formation | 57 | 2% | Panthers (5) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 57 | 2% | Seahawks (7) |
| Intentional Grounding | 56 | 2% | Vikings (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2023?
The Jets: 124 accepted penalties for 945 yards in 17 games, 7.3 a game.
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Raiders, with 75 for 629 yards (4.4 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
False Start: 618 accepted in the 2023 regular season, 20% of all flags. Then offensive holding (560) and defensive pass interference (270).
Did the flags decide games?
Some did. Valued in points, judgment calls (holding, pass interference, roughing; not false starts) helped the Jaguars most, +2.56 points a game, and hurt the Bears most, −2.57. Flag counts and call luck are related, not the same: across 224 team-seasons since 2019 the correlation is −0.34. A false start costs five yards; a pass interference flag on third down can swing a game.
Other seasons: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019
Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2023 luck rankings