NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Buffalo Bills were penalized 17 times for 135 yards in their Sunday loss to the New York Giants. The Giants got seven first downs thanks to flags against the Bills.
Bills coach Rex Ryan pledged to get it fixed but also defended the penalties, saying they showed the heart and fight he wants from his team. (His evidence of how he’s been part of fixing it before proved weak, ESPN NFL Nation's Mike Rodak reports.)
Maybe it’s just me, but a team with heart and fight also needs self-control and discipline. Those characteristics aren’t mutually exclusive.
Rodak sorted through the numbers and found that the Bills have a combined 13 unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct or taunting penalties this season. No other NFL team has more than six such flags.
Buffalo will come to Nashville Sunday averaging 11.75 penalties a game, the highest mark in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans have been hurt by penalties this season as well, but they rank just 17th with 7.67 per game.
Left tackle Taylor Lewan leads the Titans with three penalties, while two have been called against tight end Chase Coffman, outside linebacker Derrick Morgan, right guard Chance Warmack, quarterback Marcus Mariota and right tackle Jeremiah Poutasi.
The Titans have struggled to overcome the sort of long down and distance combination that results from penalties on offense.
Coming off a bye, the Titans will be looking for cleaner play.
The Bills, too, will be looking to be more disciplined as they try to better negotiate the line where displaying the fight Ryan loves doesn’t help the opponent move the ball or stop Buffalo from moving it.
