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There is no denying it, the New England Patriots’ 2020 season was a disappointment. The team played inconsistent football on both sides of the ball and as a result missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. However, not all was bad for the squad during its 7-9 campaign. The Patriots, for example, were one of the most disciplined teams in the league throughout the season.
With only one game remaining in the 2020 playoffs we can already say that New England will finish the season at the very bottom when it comes to penalties. The Patriots were flagged only 62 times over their 16 games this year, ranking last in the league in total penalties, penalty yardage lost (534) and penalty percentage when measured against the number of plays (2.62% on 2,363 plays).
With that being said and by using data compiled by NFLPenalties.com, let’s find out who are the players responsible for the Patriots’ infractions this season split up by offense, defense and special teams (numbers are split up by where a player saw his most snaps):
Offense
2021: Offensive penalties
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
| Isaiah Wynn | OT | 9 | 8 | 1 | 65 | Offensive Holding (5), False Start (3), Illegal Use of Hands (1) |
| Jonnu Smith | TE | 6 | 5 | 1 | 40 | Offensive Holding (4), False Start (2) |
| Shaq Mason | G | 4 | 4 | 0 | 40 | Offensive Holding (2), Illegal Blindside Block (1), Ineligible Downfield Pass (1) |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | False Start (3), Offensive Pass Interference (1) |
| Michael Onwenu | OL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25 | Offensive Holding (2), False Start (1) |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25 | Offensive Holding (1), Illegal Block Above the Waist (1), False Start (1) |
| David Andrews | C | 3 | 2 | 1 | 20 | Offensive Holding (2), Taunting (1) |
| Ted Karras | G | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | False Start (1), Offensive Holding (1) |
| Jakobi Meyers | WR | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | False Start (1), Offensive Holding (1) |
| Jakob Johnson | FB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | False Start (1), Offensive Holding (1) |
| Justin Herron | OT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | Offensive Holding (2) |
| Mac Jones | QB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | Intentional Grounding (1), False Start (1) |
| Trent Brown | OT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | Unsportsmanlike Conduct (1) |
| Brandon Bolden | RB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | Unnecessary Roughness (1) |
| James Ferentz | G | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Offensive Holding (1) |
| Gunner Olszewski | WR | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | False Start (1) |
After being penalized 45 times during the 2019 season, the Patriots saw just 27 infractions called against their offense in 2020 (22 on specific players plus five more on the entire team). The number one culprit was again a wide receiver: after Julian Edelman led the unit with seven flags last year, N’Keal Harry took over the top spot with four penalties: the former first-round draft pick was flagged twice for holding and once for offensive pass interference and an illegal block above the waist.
Harry did have some encouraging moments during his second year with the Patriots, but he still failed to live up to his status as a former first-round draft pick. His penalties also played a role in this.
Defense
2021: Defensive penalties
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
| Matthew Judon | LB | 8 | 6 | 2 | 60 | Defensive Holding (2), Roughing the Passer (2), Unnecessary Roughness (1), Running Into the Kicker (1), Defensive Offside (1), Neutral Zone Infraction (1) |
| J.C. Jackson | CB | 5 | 5 | 0 | 46 | Defensive Pass Interference (3), Defensive Holding (1), Illegal Blindside Block (1) |
| Deatrich Wise Jr. | DE | 4 | 4 | 0 | 46 | Unnecessary Roughness (1), Horse Collar Tackle (1), Roughing the Passer (1), Defensive Offside (1) |
| Jalen Mills | CB | 4 | 3 | 1 | 52 | Defensive Pass Interference (3), Defensive Holding (1) |
| Kyle Van Noy | LB | 3 | 3 | 0 | 41 | Neutral Zone Infraction (2), Defensive Pass Interference (1) |
| Dont'a Hightower | LB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | Horse Collar Tackle (1), Illegal Contact (1) |
| Joejuan Williams | CB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | Defensive Holding (1), Offensive Holding (1) |
| Myles Bryant | CB | 2 | 2 | 0 | 30 | Unnecessary Roughness (2) |
| Carl Davis | DT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Encroachment (2) |
| Justin Bethel | CB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | Illegal Block Above the Waist (1), Defensive Pass Interference (1) |
| Kyle Dugger | S | 2 | 1 | 1 | 46 | Defensive Pass Interference (1), Disqualification (1) |
| Daniel Ekuale | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | Face Mask (15 Yards) (1) |
| Adrian Phillips | S | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Offensive Holding (1) |
| Lawrence Guy | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | Illegal Formation (1) |
| Josh Uche | LB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Defensive Offside (1) |
| Ja'Whaun Bentley | LB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | False Start (1) |
| Christian Barmore | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Encroachment (1) |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | Illegal Use of Hands (1) |
| Jonathan Jones | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Defensive Holding (1) |
Patriots defenders were flagged 48 times in 2019, a number that dropped to 37 one year later (35 called on specific players plus two more on the entire team). The player that stands out is cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was penalized a team-high six times: Gilmore was flagged for pass interference four times and twice because of defensive holding. When going through them, however, we can see that three of his DPI calls came over the first three weeks of the season. Afterwards, Gilmore settled down again while also returning to his usual shutdown levels.
All in all, the Patriots defense played a disciplined season despite fielding plenty of young players. The team’s rookies, however, combined for only four defensive penalties all year — with Kyle Dugger’s two infractions leading the group.
Special teams
2021: Special teams penalties
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Total penalties | Accepted | Declined/Offsetting | Penalty yards | Penalties |
| Brandon King | LB | 3 | 3 | 0 | 29 | Offensive Holding (1), Unnecessary Roughness (1), Defensive Offside (1) |
| Chase Winovich | LB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Offensive Holding (1) |
| Cody Davis | S | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | Offensive Holding (1) |
| Matthew Slater | WR | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | Unsportsmanlike Conduct (1) |
| Joe Cardona | LS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | False Start (1) |
Justin Bethel did not just lead the Patriots’ kicking game unit in snaps, but also in penalties: the veteran was flagged four total times — all of them holding calls. The most prominent call against the unit did not come against Bethel, however, but in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals: rookie linebacker Anfernee Jennings was flagged for an illegal blindside block to negate a Gunner Olszewski punt return touchdown.
In general, though, New England’s kicking game operation played a clean and efficient game all season.