The Buffalo Bills had some tough penalties go against them in their playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The first that comes to mind is an illegal block by offensive lineman Cody Ford. That play had many Bills fans up in arms because the penalty in overtime took the Bills out of field goal range. The Texans went on to win the game a short while later.
But was the penalty a fluke, or something more? Maybe more.
This should be an area Buffalo works on cleaning up in 2020, but last season the Bills were flagged 124 times for penalties. In total, the Bills lost 991 yards on these plays. That 124 numbers was a tie for the sixth-most in the NFL.
Of course, that’s not the end all, be all, however, the less, the better. The Bills are not in a place where the other team with 124 penalties are. That lone team is the defending Super Bowl winning Chiefs. Their team has a prolific offense that can overcome such flags. But there’s more to this dynamic than just penalties the Bills took.
In addition to too many flags flying against the Bills, not that many were against the Bills’ opponent. In total, Bills’ foes were flagged 98 total times, or the fourth-fewest amount of times last season. Overall, opponents lost 835 yards on flags.
The Bills can only worry about themselves, and that’s what Sean McDermott should tell his team. But… maybe the referees should be nicer to the Bills, too? Make you wonder…
All penalty data is courtesy of NFL Penalties.
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