Week 1 is in the books, and what a week it was. We saw standout performances and superstars missing in action, big wins and bad losses, and most of all, Week 1 will be remembered for Aaron Rodgers’ 4th snap of the season. Our team of @Razzball writers have all these topics and more covered for all your fantasy football needs.
Based on the title of this article, you may infer this is the 2nd in a series of articles detailing the adventures of NFL Zebras – the Referees and Crew. If you missed the first installment, you can catch up HERE.
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Today, we’ll scrutinize the Referees/Crews and the players & teams that benefit most from the yellow hankies littering the field. Here is a general breakdown of the penalties by Referee/Crew:
The Baltimore Ravens were the most penalized team, with a total of 13. The DL led the way with four penalties, including Holding, 2 Face Mask and a Roughing the Passer. The OL was tagged for 3, including 2 False Starts and an Illegal Use of Hands. Of the 13 total penalties, nine occurred in the first half, clearly suppressing the Ravens’ ability to put points on the board (halftime score: Ravens 7, Texans 6). Once they shook off the cobwebs and made halftime adjustments, the Ravens rolled with 18 second-half points and the 25-9 win.
The New York Jets were the least penalized team, with just two accepted penalties: a False Start in the first quarter and a Delay of Game in the fourth quarter. Between the weather and the loss of their leader, this level of discipline kept them in the game and thus able to take advantage of the Bills’ miscues.
Across the NFL, offensive penalties were called at the greatest frequency, led by False Starts (36) and Offensive Holding (34). The Titans OL was the worst offender with 4 False Starts. The Texans, Patriots and Commanders OLs were nabbed the most for Holding (3 each).
On the defensive side, the Rams secondary was flagged the most (3 times) for Pass Interference, leading to 28 free yards for the Seahawk offense, one of which occurred on 3rd down. The Texans felt the sting of this one even more, giving the Ravens offense 42 free yards on 2 Pass Interference calls.
Moving on to Week 2, the referee assignments are as follows:
Will the Packers – Falcons game be marred by penalties like we saw by Tra Blake’s crew in Week 1?
The most penalized team in Week 1, the Baltimore Ravens, drew Shawn Hochuli’s crew, which threw relatively few flags last week.
How about those Jets heading to Big D and Clete Blakeman’s crew? Blakeman’s crew was one of the fewest flag-throwing squads of the week. The Jets may need that extra help if they are to hang with the Cowboys at Jerry’s World.
We’ll be watching all these things and more as we roll through the second week of the fantasy football season.
As always, thank you for joining me on this fun ride into the nuances of the NFL and exploring how it translates to our fantasy game. Good luck to with all your teams. Unless you’re playing me, I hope you all win!
If you have roster questions, don’t forget to subscribe and tune into the one-and-only @RazzballNFL Start/Sit show on Sunday mornings. Right up to game time, @BobbyLamarco, @SkyGuasco, @Stiles08, and I will answer all your fantasy football questions. Don’t miss it.
All season long, look for my articles right here each week and be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Derek_Favret.
Until next time, my friends.
