The Tennessee Titans are fresh off their bye and are set to host the Atlanta Falcons in a game they desperately need to win if they want any realistic chance at keeping their season alive.
A loss on Sunday will likely have a negative trickle-down effect on everything from attendance and relevancy going forward. It could also lead to several veteran players being put on the trade block before Tuesday’s deadline.
Only time will tell whether any of that actually happens, but the focus this week is trying to get back in the win column after dropping two straight games prior to the bye.
Fortunately for Tennessee, it will have one of the most lenient referees in the league who has called the second-fewest amount of penalties in the NFL going into Week 8.
According to the NFLPenalties.com, Clay Martin and his crew have only called 57 penalties on the year for a combined 490 yards. For perspective, the five officiating crews who have called the most penalties have all thrown at least 87 flags up until this point in the season.
Listed below is each penalty that Martin and his staff have called through the first five weeks, how frequently they called them, and which teams they’ve favored the most.
All other penalties not listed either haven’t been called or were negated by offsetting and/or penalties that were declined.
Home team penalties
- 33 penalties called against the home team
- 294 penalty yards against the home team
Away team penalties
- 24 penalties called against the road team
- 196 penalty yards against the road team
Offensive holding
- Number of times called: 16
- Yards off offensive holding: 158
- Offensive holding penalties called on home team: 10
- Offensive holding penalties called on road team: Six
- Average of 2.67 offensive holding penalties called per game
False start
- Number of times called: 12
- Yards off false starts: 60
- False start penalties called on home team: Eight
- False start penalties called on road team: Four
- Average of 2.00 false start penalties called per game
Neutral zone infraction/offsides
- Number of times called: Seven
- Yards off neutral zone infraction/offsides: 36
- Neutral zone infraction penalties called on home team: Three
- Neutral zone infraction penalties called on road team: Four
- Average of 0.58 neutral zone infraction/offside penalties called per game
Unnecessary roughness
- Number of times called: Four
- Yards off unnecessary roughness: 60
- Unnecessary roughness penalties called on home team: Zero
- Unnecessary roughness penalties called on road team: Four
- Average of 0.67 unnecessary roughness penalties called per game
Defensive pass interference (DPI)
- Number of times called: Three
- Yards off DPI: 71
- DPI penalties called on home team: Three
- DPI penalties called on road team: Zero
- Average of 0.50 DPI penalties called per game
Defensive holding
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off defensive holding: 10
- Defensive holding penalties called on home team: One
- Defensive holding penalties called on road team: One
- Average of 0.33 defensive holding penalties called per game
Offensive pass interference (OPI)
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off OPI: 20
- OPI penalties called on home team: One
- OPI penalties called on road team: One
- Average of 0.33 OPI penalty called per game
Illegal shift
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off illegal shift: 10
- Illegal shift penalties called on home team: One
- Illegal shift penalties called on road team: One
- Average of 0.33 illegal shift penalties called per game
Illegal contact
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off Illegal contact: 10
- Illegal contact penalties called on home team: Two
- Illegal contact penalties called on road team: Zero
- Average of 0.33 Illegal contact penalties called per game
Illegal use of hands
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off illegal use of hands: 15
- Illegal use of hands penalties called on home team: One
- Illegal use of hands penalties called on road team: One
- Average of 0.33 illegal use of hands penalties called per game
Illegal blindside/peelback block
- Number of times called: Two
- Yards off illegal blindside/peelback block: 30
- Illegal blindside/peelback block penalties called on home team: Two
- Illegal blindside/peelback block penalties called on road team: Zero
- Average of 0.17 illegal blindside/peelback block penalties called per game
Player out of bounds on kick (POBK)
- Number of times called: One
- Yards off POBK: Five
- POBK penalties called on home team: One
- POBK penalties called on road team: Zero
- Average of 0.17 POBK penalties called per game
Delay of game
- Number of times called: One
- Yards off delay of game: Five
- Delay of game penalties called on home team: Zero
- Delay of game penalties called on road team: One
- Average of 0.17 delay of game penalties called per game
