What Are Penalty Yards Per Penalty?
Penalty yards per penalty measures the average yardage lost per penalty committed. This stat reflects the severity of infractions.
Penalty Yards Per Penalty | NFL Team Stats
| Team | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 6.1 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.9 | - | 5.8 | 6.5 | 9.0 |
| 2 |  | 6.7 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 6.3 | - | 5.7 | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| 3 |  | 6.8 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.8 | - | 6.7 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
| 3 |  | 6.8 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 6.8 | - | 6.8 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| 3 |  | 6.8 | 7.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | - | 7.0 | 6.6 | 9.2 |
| 6 |  | 7.4 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 7.9 | - | 6.4 | 8.5 | 8.3 |
| 6 |  | 7.4 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.4 | - | 8.5 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| 8 |  | 7.5 | 12.2 | 8.3 | 7.5 | - | 8.7 | 6.3 | 8.4 |
| 8 |  | 7.5 | 9.5 | 6.7 | 8.1 | - | 9.0 | 6.0 | 7.8 |
| 10 |  | 7.8 | 11.1 | 9.6 | 8.9 | - | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.1 |
| 10 |  | 7.8 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 7.8 | - | 8.6 | 7.1 | 7.2 |
| 10 |  | 7.8 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 7.9 | - | 7.5 | 8.3 | 7.8 |
| 13 |  | 7.9 | 6.8 | 8.5 | 8.1 | - | 8.5 | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| 14 |  | 8.0 | 11.4 | 9.2 | 8.2 | - | 8.9 | 7.0 | 8.6 |
| 14 |  | 8.0 | 4.8 | 8.3 | 7.8 | - | 8.3 | 7.8 | 7.5 |
| 16 |   | 8.1 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 7.2 | - | 8.9 | 5.5 | 8.4 |
| 17 |  | 8.2 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 8.2 | - | 7.9 | 8.3 | 7.8 |
| 17 |  | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.0 | - | 8.4 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| 19 |  | 8.3 | 7.5 | 8.8 | 8.3 | - | 7.1 | 9.4 | 8.0 |
| 20 |  | 8.5 | 11.0 | 9.1 | 8.7 | - | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.4 |
| 21 |  | 8.6 | 12.4 | 8.5 | 8.9 | - | 7.7 | 9.5 | 8.0 |
| 21 |  | 8.6 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 9.1 | - | 11.2 | 6.5 | 8.3 |
| 23 |  | 8.7 | 10.3 | 8.6 | 8.7 | - | 8.3 | 9.0 | 8.4 |
| 23 |   | 8.7 | 7.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 | - | 8.3 | 9.1 | 7.6 |
| 23 |  | 8.7 | 11.5 | 9.7 | 8.7 | - | 7.6 | 9.5 | 8.0 |
| 26 |  | 8.8 | 11.1 | 8.3 | 8.8 | - | 10.2 | 6.8 | 8.0 |
| 27 |  | 8.9 | 6.7 | 7.5 | 7.9 | - | 9.6 | 7.8 | 8.4 |
| 28 |  | 9.2 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 9.1 | - | 9.2 | 9.1 | 7.8 |
| 29 |  | 9.4 | 9.8 | 8.8 | 9.2 | - | 9.3 | 9.4 | 8.5 |
| 30 |  | 9.5 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 9.5 | - | 10.1 | 8.6 | 7.9 |
| 31 |  | 9.7 | 7.8 | 8.8 | 9.4 | - | 8.1 | 10.8 | 7.6 |
| 31 |  | 9.7 | 10.2 | 8.9 | 8.6 | - | 8.5 | 10.1 | 7.3 |
Which teams have the lowest penalty yards per penalty in the NFL in 2026?
Through games played October 22, 2026, Denver has the lowest penalty yards per penalty in the NFL at 6.1. New Orleans is second at 6.7. Miami, Cleveland & Philadelphia are tied for third at 6.8. A gap of 0.6 yards separates Denver from second place, & 2.6 yards separate it from the 25th-ranked team.
Only 1.7 yards separate first from tenth. Las Vegas & Detroit are tied for sixth at 7.4, Indianapolis & Tampa Bay tied for eighth at 7.5 & Chicago, Cincinnati and Washington tied for tenth at 7.8.
Two ranks between 14th and 18th are shared by two teams each. Tennessee is 13th at 7.9. New England & Baltimore are tied 14th at 8.0. The New York Giants are 16th at 8.1. Green Bay & the Los Angeles Chargers are tied 17th at 8.2.
Ten teams sit inside 0.5 yards of each other from tenth to 19th, the tightest stretch of the ranking. Minnesota is 19th at 8.3 & Jacksonville 20th at 8.5. Pittsburgh & the New York Jets are tied 21st at 8.6 & Buffalo, the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina tied 23rd at 8.7. Eight ranks inside the top 25 are shared by more than one team.
How this ranking is measured
The ranking above covers the top 25 of 32 NFL teams in the 2026 regular season, ranked lowest first. Penalty yards per penalty measures the average yardage lost per penalty committed. This stat reflects the severity of infractions. Figures are as of October 22, 2026 & are recalculated on StatRankings after each game's play-by-play is processed.
