Here's why Broncos' 16 flags in Game 2 aren't cause for panic

The Denver Broncos had 16 flags thrown on them in preseason Game 2 vs. the Seattle Seahawks. Nicki Jhabvala of the Athletic chronicled each flag — who was penalized, what the foul was, what the yardage was and whether it was accepted.

Not all of them were accepted.

Yikes. pic.twitter.com/U1jUWlh9z9
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 9, 2019

I'd caution fans about getting too far over your skis in regard to the penalties. A.) it's preseason. B.) it's also preseason for the officials.

These officials oftentimes throw flags in the preseason as a point of emphasis, to show the players and coaches what rule(s) will be enforced and adjudicated when the regular season rolls around.

For that purpose, don't draw any over-arching conclusions. It's just one piece of the puzzle. The Broncos were one of the most penalized teams in the league last year under Vance Joseph.

That's not going to happen again — not under Vic Fangio's watch.

“When you commit that many penalties, I don’t think many of them were pre-snap penalties," Fangio said from the podium after the game. "The penalties were during the course of play because you have poor technique or you’re not good enough. With either one you have to cheat, you have to grab guys, you have to hold them. We have to make these guys aware of the proper technique and hopefully they're good enough to play honest downs without fouling. It was a highly penalized game, they (Seattle) had a bunch too. We will take a look at each and every one of them when we go back.”

Many flags were the epitome of ticky-tack calls, like the two defensive holding calls on rookie DL Dre'Mont Jones. The TV broadcast crew did a good job of illustrating that.

But the officials were trying to send a message — not just to Jones and the Broncos — but to the whole NFL.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not justifying the penalties, or sweeping them under the rug. What I am saying is that penalties are to be expected in a team's second preseason game, and as Fangio alluded to, the Seahawks were perpetrators on their fair share of flags, too.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.