FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons have referees, including former running back Fred McCrary, at practice and they should have them cracked down on the frequent violators.
Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay, which is set for 1 p.m. at the Georgia Dome, could turn into a penalty-fest.
Tampa Bay has been penalized 76 times for 553 yards. The Falcons have been penalized 52 times for 428 yards.
The 76 penalties are the second-most in the league behind Buffalo’s 88 penalties.
The Falcons are tied for being the 20th most penalized team in the NFL with Detroit and St. Louis.
The Bucs were penalized 16 times for 142 yards in the loss to Washington.
The Falcons also have 169 nullified yards, which are yards nullified by penalties on the offense or the punt or kickoff return team. The Falcons had season-high 78 nullified yards against Tennessee.
Here’s the ranking of the most penalized teams in the league, according to NFL's Game Statistic and Information System.
TEAM, PENALTIES AND YARDS
Buffalo, 88 for 670
Tampa Bay, 76 for 553
Indianapolis, 71 for 459
Cleveland, 66 for 492
Philadelphia, 66 for 394
Oakland, 65 for 447
San Diego, 65 for 425
New Orleans, 64 for 500
Baltimore, 64 for 447
Houston, 60 for 421
Miami, 60 for 416
Washington, 59 for 394
Green Bay, 59 for 380
New York Giants, 58 for 403
Kansas City, 57 for 379
Seattle, 56 for 419
Chicago, 55 for 447
Jacksonville, 53 for 466
Dallas, 53 for 334
Denver 52 for 448
Falcons, 52 for 428
Detroit, 52 for 393
St. Louis, 52 for 338
Cincinnati 51 for 346
Tennessee, 50 for 364
Arizona, 50 for 353
New England, 48 for 387
San Francisco, 46 for 264
New York Jets, 42 for 370
Pittsburgh, 42 for 357
Carolina, 42 for 315
Minnesota, 41 for 305
About the Author
