Currently the Buffalo Bills have the third worst penalty stats in the NFL
By Chuck Pollock, Senior Sports Writer
It was an issue that dogged coach Sean McDermott and might well have contributed to his firing last season a day after the Bills lost a playoff game at Denver in overtime.
The 2025 Bills were 13th of the 32 NFL teams in penalties called on them and 10th in penalized yardage but many of those flags proved particularly punitive.
Well, despite Buffalo’s current 6-1 record, which happens to be tied for the NFL’s best mark with Monday night’s opponent, the Vikings in Minneapolis, and San Francisco, penalties have also been costly.
Currently, league teams have played either seven or eight games.
Adjusting Buffalo’s numbers for eight, it translates to 70 penalties, third-worst in the NFL behind Cleveland (72) and Green Bay (71) and its adjusted 601 penalty yards are the league’s most.
Those two figures are a source of annoyance to McDermott’s successor, Joe Brady, the former Bills offensive coordinator, who laments the fact that in four of seven games Buffalo has had at least 10 penalties.
The Bills had that number in Sunday’s win over the quarterback-challenged Ravens, though they prevailed 36-10, half of them were pre-snap violations a particular annoyance to coaches.
“I DON’T want to lead the league in least amount of penalties … I know that sounds crazy, but we also have to play with an edge” Butler said. “I’d like us to be in the middle of the pack and right now that’s not us.”
He added, “It’s the pre-snap penalties that bother me.”
Against Baltimore that’s what half of Buffalo’s violations were.
“I want us to toe the line and (pre-snap penalties) are something we can control,” Butler maintained. “There are things that happen within the snap (once the play begins), but even when that happens on a consistent basis, the fundamentals and technique are the things we have to clean up.”
Last Sunday, versus the Ravens, Buffalo’s first four penalties were pre-snap: false start (tackle Dion Dawkins), illegal shift (two players in motion), encroachment (defensive tackle Deone Walker) and encroachment (linebacker T.J. Parker). The fifth pre-snap call, delay of game, was charged after an excessive celebration following a touchdown.
THEN THERE were five post-snap violations.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver was flagged for roughing-the-passer, linebacker Terrel Bernard (low block), defensive end T.J. Sanders (defensive holding), tight end Jackson Hawes (holding) and guard O’Cyrus Tofrrence (holding).
For the record, in the first seven games, the Bills have been called for 27 holding penalties, either offense or defense.
Of Sunday’s performance, Butler said, “Some of the same mistakes that had shown up (before) showed up again … turning the ball over, penalties particularly in the red zone.”
What’s saved Buffalo’s bacon is that while the defense is third-worst in points surrendered (25.9) and 16th in yards given up, the offense leads the league in scoring with an average of 33 points per game and is second to Detroit by two yards in yards gained per game at 393.
Butler pointed out, “The post-snap penalties are something you can live with depending on what the technique looks like.
“I don’t ever want us to have a conservative approach. I’d rather have the ball in our hands (if Buffalo wins the toss) but that doesn’t mean we’re going to be careless.” When asked why the Bills went for it on fourth down five times (making four) against Baltimore, he lamented, “There’s too many fourth downs (to go for) and that’s a product of us not being good enough on third down.”
Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
