Green Bay Packers: Penalties are Major Issue in 2 Losses

In their two losses, the Green Bay Packers go from one of the most disciplined teams in the NFL to one of the worst.

It’s no surprise that when a team loses, penalties often play a larger role than what they normally would. However, when it comes to the Green Bay Packers, who are usually one of the more disciplined teams in football, in terms of penalties, there has been a stark contrast between games they’ve won and games they’ve lost.

Against Tampa Bay, who ironically was one of the more penalized teams in the NFL, it was the Packers who were sloppy. In an overall performance where nothing went right, Green Bay was flagged six times totaling 76 penalty yards.

Four of those flags came on the defensive side of the ball, one of which was a Josh Jackson pass interference call downfield that set up an easy touchdown. We also saw the Packers uncharacteristically flagged for too many men on the field.

Then against Minnesota, penalties were an even bigger issue as Green Bay totaled nine penalties for 85 yards. Now sure, there were some ticky-tack calls, including the two pass interference penalties on Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson that led to a touchdown, but we aren’t here to make excuses. The Vikings were flagged almost as often with seven penalties but only for 36 yards.

As the Packers tried to mount their comeback, several holding calls on offense – including two on Marcedes Lewis – killed any momentum that they were trying to build.

Overall, the Green Bay Packers have been flagged 39 times this season, which is the 10th fewest penalties in the NFL. In their five wins, they are penalized, on average, 4.8 times per game for 40.6 yards. For some context, that would be the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL.

On the flip side, during losses, the Packers are penalized 7.5 times per game for nearly 81 yards. Once again, for context, those 7.5 penalties per game on its own would be the second-most in football this season.

When it comes to penalties, there isn’t much in between for Green Bay; they are either one of the most disciplined teams in the NFL or one of the worst, with 38 percent of their total penalties coming in only two games and 44 percent of their penalty yards coming in those losses as well.

The Packers’ 10 offensive holding penalties are what they’ve been flagged for the most this season, followed by five defensive holding penalties. And the three times that they’ve been flagged for a delay of game is tied for the second-most in football.

As I said in the beginning, it’s not uncommon for a team to be penalized more when they lose, but for this Green Bay Packers’ team, it is night and day. While issues like stopping the run, a “lack of energy,” and pressure on Aaron Rodgers are all major contributors to the Packers’ losses, they also have to stop beating themselves.