Patriots commit only 4 penalties against Packers
The Patriots came in to yesterday's game against the Green Bay Packers as one of the NFL's most penalized teams with 95, trailing only Seattle, Tampa Bay and Denver in that order, according to nflpenalties.com.
They only committed four, which is a major improvement for a team that averages 8.25 per game. They totaled 25 yards from those four fouls.
Also consider the opponent and the environment in which the game took place and it becomes even more impressive.
The penalty that was probably the most costly, however, was a holding penalty on cornerback Brandon Browner during Green Bay's first drive of the game at the Patriots' 21 yard line on a 3rd-and-8. The only thing that would have happened had that penalty not been called, would have been a longer field goal attempt for the Packers, which likely would have been about 36 or 37 yards out.
The disciplined game in the penalties department by New England speaks volumes to how much the team and head coach Bill Belichick valued this game.
Against the Lions, the Patriots committed 11 penalties. The highest amount of penalties they committed in a game this year was 15 in a 30-7 win at Minnesota. They have only played four games in which they have committed less than seven penalties. If you can believe it, the game in which they committed the least amount of penalties was Week 4 in Kansas City. They only committed three that night, but we don't need to remind anyone what happened there.
Many of these penalties have come on defense, with Browner being a primary culprit. With that being said, Browner has played very well, so you've got to take the good with the bad.
Additionally, penalties truly have not cost New England a game since Week 1 against the Dolphins. (Side note: I'm not saying penalties are the sole reason the Patriots lost to the Dolphins, but it definitely aided the cause.). So for as many penalties as they seem to take, they have not found themselves in a tough situation because of them in quite some time.
Hopefully for New England, this will be something to build on moving forward. If the Patriots are able to cut down on the amount of penalties they take per game, life will be easier for everyone on the field.
Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce
For more of my articles, click here.
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| Morry Gash/AP |
Also consider the opponent and the environment in which the game took place and it becomes even more impressive.
The penalty that was probably the most costly, however, was a holding penalty on cornerback Brandon Browner during Green Bay's first drive of the game at the Patriots' 21 yard line on a 3rd-and-8. The only thing that would have happened had that penalty not been called, would have been a longer field goal attempt for the Packers, which likely would have been about 36 or 37 yards out.
The disciplined game in the penalties department by New England speaks volumes to how much the team and head coach Bill Belichick valued this game.
Against the Lions, the Patriots committed 11 penalties. The highest amount of penalties they committed in a game this year was 15 in a 30-7 win at Minnesota. They have only played four games in which they have committed less than seven penalties. If you can believe it, the game in which they committed the least amount of penalties was Week 4 in Kansas City. They only committed three that night, but we don't need to remind anyone what happened there.
Many of these penalties have come on defense, with Browner being a primary culprit. With that being said, Browner has played very well, so you've got to take the good with the bad.
Additionally, penalties truly have not cost New England a game since Week 1 against the Dolphins. (Side note: I'm not saying penalties are the sole reason the Patriots lost to the Dolphins, but it definitely aided the cause.). So for as many penalties as they seem to take, they have not found themselves in a tough situation because of them in quite some time.
Hopefully for New England, this will be something to build on moving forward. If the Patriots are able to cut down on the amount of penalties they take per game, life will be easier for everyone on the field.
Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce
For more of my articles, click here.
