NFL has most accepted penalties through four weeks since 1978

Published October 6, 2026 12:35 PM The flags have been flying throughout the NFL this season. Per ESPN, there have been 983 accepted penalties through the first four weeks of play. That’s the most to this point in any season since play-by-play data became available dating back to the 1978 campaign. Week 4 was a particularly penalty-filled week of action. There were 271 accepted penalties in 16 games, which is the second-most in a single week over the same period of time. Twelve different teams had at least 10 accepted penalties in their Week 4 games with the Chargers and Seahawks combining for 30 of them in Seattle’s 30-23 win. Recent seasons have usually seen penalty totals peak early in the season and then drop off over the course of the year, which is likely because players adjust to points of emphasis that are leading to more fouls than in the past. If that doesn’t happen this season, we could be in for the most-penalized NFL season in history.