Penalty-free football helped the New Orleans Saints take care of business against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. That’s not to say everything went according to plan, but they didn’t hurt themselves with fouls while giving free yardage to the opposing squad.
That’s progress. The Saints went into Week 9 with a league-leading 513 penalty yards, but they ended the afternoon with a single foul, yielding 5 yards for a false start on tight end Juwan Johnson. The Bears were penalized 8 times for 71 yards by referee Ron Torbert and his officiating crew.
And things look even better when you widen the lens. The Saints have been penalized 12 times in their last three games, but eight of those infractions came last week against the Indianapolis Colts. And half of those penalties were for false starts on Johnson, center Erik McCoy, left tackle Andrus Peat, and left guard Max Garcia. That game’s referee crew, led by Craig Wrolstad, has thrown more penalty flags for false starts (15) than any other foul this season.
Hopefully this can start a positive trend for New Orleans. Playing games with fewer penalties leads to more efficient drives, more first down conversions, and more scoring — all things that are conducive to winning the day. Playing smarter and keeping hands clean is going to help this team get where they want to go.
One player in particular deserves some credit for cutting down on his penalties. Cornerback Paulson Adebo was fouled early and often this season, drawing four penalties for defensive pass interference and two flags for defensive holding in his first four games. But he hasn’t been fouled in either of the last two games while making a positive impact with multiple turnovers in recent weeks. If Adebo can avoid those penalties moving forward while continuing to take the ball away and hold up in coverage, the Saints secondary suddenly looks even more formidable. Sunday’s win over the Bears is the next step towards that goal.
