Nothing is more frustrating than watching an NFL game with a ton of penalties. These flags drive players and coaches crazy, and it makes for a bad on-field product. Unfortunately, penalties are part of the game, so there’s no avoiding them. But what is the record for the most penalties in a single NFL game? Let’s take a look.
Most Penalized NFL Game Took Place in 1976
NFL fans might guess that the record for most flags in a game occurred recently, but it was actually nearly 50 years ago.
On Oct. 17, 1976, the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were both expansion teams. Believe it or not, they combined for a whopping 35 accepted penalties for 310 yards.
“There were 16 holding penalties. Twice the Bucs were called for having 12 men on the field, and on seven occasions they were faced with second or third down and 20 or more yards to go,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Baskin.
Seattle ultimately won the game 13-10, scoring all of their points in the third quarter. There would’ve been even more penalties, but two were declined while two others were offsetting.
Most Penalties Committed by One Team in a Game
While 35 penalties combined in one game is certainly an absurd number, that seems far less crazy than what the Oakland Raiders did in regard in 2016.
On Oct. 30, 2016, in another game involving the Buccaneers, the Raiders were flagged an insane 23 times. That mark is one penalty higher than the 1998 San Francisco 49ers, who were flagged 22 times against the Buffalo Bills.
Somehow, the Raiders still managed to score 30 points and win the contest.
Throughout NFL history, there have been seven instances of teams being flagged 20 or more times in a single game, and the Raiders are on that list twice (with the other time occurring in 1996).
Most Penalized Player in One Season in NFL History
Most players would be thrilled to end up in the NFL record book, but nobody wants to hold this title.
Unfortunately for him, NFL defensive back Brandon Browner is the sole owner of the honor, and his 2015 season lives on in infamy.
As a member of the New Orleans Saints, Browner was flagged 24 times, with 21 of them being accepted. This blew away the previous record-holder, Chester Pitts, who committed 22 penalties in the 2003 season.