Following a penalty-ridden 2017 regular-season opener in Foxboro, I decided to take a look at the frequency of penalty calls in what feel like increasingly plodding NFL games and found that officials had been throwing their flags more often in recent seasons, and that that Chiefs-Patriots game had more flags than usual even in a heightened penalty environment.
That was just one game, though, and the first of the regular season at that. How do things look on the flag front after two full weeks of games?
NFL officials continue to flag penalties at an historically* high rate. But I’m sure Colin Kaepernick’s the real reason NFL ratings are down this season.
* The NFL Penalty Tracker has data going back to the 2009 season.
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Previously
Waive that flag: The NFL returns with zebras on parade
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