2026 NFL season · after Week 9 · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2026
The Browns have been flagged the most in 2026: 82 accepted penalties for 563 yards, 9.1 a game. The Vikings the fewest, 39. The average team: 7.4 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, 2026
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Browns | 82 | 9.1 | 563 | 55 | −27 | Offensive Holding (18) | +0.25 |
| 2 |  Panthers | 70 | 8.8 | 635 | 70 | 0 | Offensive Holding (15) | −0.89 |
| 3 |  Bills | 60 | 8.6 | 521 | 54 | −6 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.52 |
| 4 |  Chargers | 66 | 8.3 | 540 | 67 | +1 | False Start (20) | +0.73 |
| 5 |  Cowboys | 74 | 8.2 | 667 | 85 | +11 | Offensive Holding (17) | −0.11 |
| 6 |  Packers | 74 | 8.2 | 605 | 55 | −19 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.85 |
| 7 |  Ravens | 74 | 8.2 | 539 | 49 | −25 | False Start (24) | −0.20 |
| 8 |  Jets | 73 | 8.1 | 572 | 50 | −23 | False Start (12) | −0.64 |
| 9 |  Bears | 72 | 8.0 | 570 | 67 | −5 | Offensive Holding (20) | −0.10 |
| 10 |  Texans | 64 | 8.0 | 544 | 60 | −4 | Offensive Holding (15) | −0.12 |
| 11 |  Rams | 71 | 7.9 | 599 | 53 | −18 | False Start (15) | −0.64 |
| 12 |  Broncos | 69 | 7.7 | 478 | 73 | +4 | Delay of Game (9) | +0.91 |
| 13 |  Commanders | 61 | 7.6 | 468 | 53 | −8 | False Start (17) | −0.45 |
| 14 |  Cardinals | 68 | 7.6 | 629 | 58 | −10 | False Start (14) | −0.21 |
| 15 |  Dolphins | 60 | 7.5 | 423 | 58 | −2 | Offensive Holding (19) | −0.43 |
| 16 |  Giants | 59 | 7.4 | 510 | 61 | +2 | False Start (18) | +0.58 |
| 17 |  Patriots | 66 | 7.3 | 500 | 58 | −8 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.11 |
| 18 |  Jaguars | 58 | 7.3 | 479 | 70 | +12 | Offensive Holding (16) | −0.77 |
| 19 |  Seahawks | 65 | 7.2 | 594 | 75 | +10 | False Start (14) | +0.04 |
| 20 |  Eagles | 64 | 7.1 | 451 | 78 | +14 | Offensive Holding (16) | +0.74 |
| 21 |  Buccaneers | 63 | 7.0 | 449 | 60 | −3 | False Start (18) | +0.04 |
| 22 |  Lions | 56 | 7.0 | 447 | 52 | −4 | False Start (15) | +0.75 |
| 23 |  Chiefs | 55 | 6.9 | 484 | 52 | −3 | Offensive Holding (14) | −0.46 |
| 24 |  Bengals | 55 | 6.9 | 437 | 73 | +18 | False Start (11) | +0.08 |
| 25 |  Falcons | 60 | 6.7 | 538 | 65 | +5 | Offensive Holding (17) | −0.06 |
| 26 |  Titans | 53 | 6.6 | 410 | 67 | +14 | Offensive Holding (20) | +0.10 |
| 27 |  49ers | 50 | 6.3 | 445 | 50 | 0 | Offensive Holding (11) | +0.02 |
| 28 |  Saints | 49 | 6.1 | 330 | 58 | +9 | False Start (11) | +0.01 |
| 29 |  Raiders | 54 | 6.0 | 413 | 71 | +17 | Defensive Pass Interference (10) | +0.25 |
| 30 |  Colts | 54 | 6.0 | 392 | 70 | +16 | Offensive Holding (15) | +0.87 |
| 31 |  Steelers | 47 | 5.9 | 414 | 62 | +15 | Offensive Holding (11) | 0.00 |
| 32 |  Vikings | 39 | 5.6 | 314 | 56 | +17 | False Start (9) | +1.19 |
What gets flagged, 2026
Every accepted penalty in the 2026 regular season by type so far: 1,985 flags in 135 games, 14.7 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 424 | 21% | Bears (20) |
| False Start | 370 | 19% | Ravens (24) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 158 | 8% | Panthers (10) |
| Delay of Game | 125 | 6% | Broncos (9) |
| Defensive Holding | 99 | 5% | Bills (9) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 90 | 5% | Seahawks (11) |
| Defensive Offside | 87 | 4% | Titans (8) |
| Roughing the Passer | 61 | 3% | Packers (9) |
| Face Mask | 54 | 3% | Jets (4) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 54 | 3% | Browns (9) |
| Illegal Formation | 52 | 3% | Browns (5) |
| Illegal Block Above the Waist | 41 | 2% | Cardinals (6) |
| Illegal Shift | 41 | 2% | Panthers (3) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 38 | 2% | Jets (3) |
| Illegal Contact | 37 | 2% | Eagles (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2026?
The Browns: 82 accepted penalties for 563 yards in 9 games, 9.1 a game (after Week 9).
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Vikings, with 39 for 314 yards (5.6 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 424 accepted in the 2026 regular season, 21% of all flags. Then false start (370) and defensive pass interference (158).
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, +1.19 wins, and hurt the Panthers most, −0.89. Flag counts and call luck are related, not the same: across 224 team-seasons since 2019 the correlation is −0.28. 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