After another sloppy outing, it's time to examine Bills' growing penalty problem

Shawn Hochuli was suffering from main character syndrome on Sunday night.

The referee of this past weekend’s Week 5 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Patriots was all over the television broadcast throughout the AFC East tilt, as his crew tossed over 20 flags between the two teams during a sloppy affair.

Buffalo entered the game 1-4 in games that Hochuli served as the head official. And that record sank even lower after the Bills had 11 penalties accepted against them for the second straight week, with their latest messy outing pointing to what is a growing problem.

Sept. 8, 2012; Tucson, AZ, USA; NCAA referee Shawn Hochuli signals during the first half of the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oklahoma State Cowboys | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Bills' undisciplined play against New England began in the first half, when Buffalo had eight penalties accepted against it, which was tied for the team’s second-most in a first half since Sean McDermott took over as head coach in 2017. The most flags accepted against the Bills in a first half came in Week 12 of the 2023 season, when, you guessed it, Hochuli was the head official.

Of their 11 accepted penalties on Sunday night, six of them came on the offensive side of the ball, with two going against center Connor McGovern for holding. Three were accepted against the Bills’ defense, and two came on special teams.

The run of flags against Buffalo began in the first quarter, when McGovern was called for holding on the Bills’ first play from scrimmage. Later during the opening quarter, Buffalo’s offense was called for illegal formation, linebacker Shaq Thompson was docked for illegal formation on a punt, and tight end Dalton Kincaid was called for holding on the play before wide receiver Keon Coleman recorded a fumble.

In the second quarter, left tackle Dion Dawkins was called for a false start before another holding call was ruled against McGovern, which led to a first-and-20 and eventually a punt. That was followed by an unnecessary roughness penalty called against LB Terrel Bernard, which preceded a penalty for defensive pass interference called against Tre’Davious White. Both late-second-half infractions proved costly, as they helped set up a Patriots’ field goal before halftime, which gave New England a 6-3 lead.

Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) reacts against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Just three penalties were called against the Bills in the second half, including a third-quarter flag for illegal contact going against Christian Benford to help set up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game, and an offensive pass interference penalty called on WR Khalil Shakir a play before quarterback Josh Allen fired a red-zone interception. Buffalo kept Hochuli’s crew busy until the late stages of the fourth quarter, when LB Joe Andreessen was called for holding on the Patriots’ final kickoff after sending a game-winning field goal through the uprights with 15 seconds remaining.

It’s easy to blame Hochuli for the team’s high amount of flags on Sunday night, based on his track record of officiating games involving the Bills. With that said, Buffalo’s issues with penalties began the week prior, when the Bills also finished their win over the New Orleans Saints with 11 penalties accepted against them. Of the Bills’ heap of infractions against the Saints, five went against the Buffalo offense, four against the defense, and two came on special teams.

In the game against New Orleans, both special teams flags were thrown on long snapper Reid Ferguson, who was called for a false start penalty and a holding penalty. Defensively, White was flagged for holding, while linebacker Dorian Williams was whistled for an illegal blindside block on an interception return, and Thompson committed a penalty for illegal use of hands. Offensively, Shakir was called for holding, Dawkins committed a false start penalty, WR Joshua Palmer caught a penalty for an illegal shift, WR Tyrell Shavers was called for offensive pass interference, and left guard David Edwards was flagged for a false start.

Bills players with multiple penalties called against them in their team’s past two games include White, Shakir, Dawkins, McGovern, Thompson, and Ferguson, while eight others have been flagged at least once over the last two weeks. Of Buffalo’s 22 combined penalties in Weeks 4 and 5, 11 have been called against the Bills’ offense, seven have been called against the defense, and four have come while Buffalo is on special teams. Two have been personal foul penalties, while eight have come before the snap.

Looking ahead, the Bills will take on the Atlanta Falcons next Monday night, a game in which Buffalo hopes to return to a more disciplined style of play. The Falcons have benefitted from the fifth-fewest penalties of any team in the NFL this season.

The Bills need to get themselves right, and to do so, they must clean up in the penalties post haste.

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