Rams' Penalty Problems Are Real, but the Numbers Tell a Bigger Story

When the Los Angeles Rams lost to the Denver Broncos in Week 3, they were penalized 13 times for 91 yards. It was the most accepted penalties against the Rams in a game since Week 4 of 2020. Last week against the Eagles, the Rams were penalized eight times for 100 yards. The 21 accepted penalties for 191 yards against the Rams are their most over a two-game stretch during Sean McVay's tenure as head coach.

The recent uptick in penalties by the Rams is simply uncharacteristic of a Sean McVay-led team. Throughout the McVay era, the Rams have struggled to score in the red zone at times due to questionable play-calling. This season, the Rams have had to settle for field goals because of penalties.

“The things that really chapped me that I think are a reflection of an undisciplined team are the pre-snap, the procedural things,” said McVay this week. “Those are the things that we can control with focus and concentration. They'll happen from time to time, but we have to minimize those situationally whether that's jumping offsides offensively, things like that, even making decisions where there's no discrepancy on.”

The past 2 weeks, 21 accepted penalties against the Rams measured 191 yards.

Both figures are the most in consecutive games in 10 season under Sean McVay, a span of time in which discipline has been a hallmark.

I just looked through them all, a few things to note:

*Penalties…
— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) October 6, 2026

In Week 3 against the Broncos, the Rams had to settle for field goals after an offensive pass interference penalty on Davante Adams and a hold on Steve Avila.

Last week, the Rams settled for field goals after a holding penalty on Davis Allen. According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analytics, red-zone holding is up 38 percent, second only to 2019. After taking over at the Eagles’ 38-yard line, a seven-yard run from Williams was called back because of a questionable illegal blindside block.

BLINDSIDE BLOCK…on Puka Nacua?!

What happened to the beautiful game of football… pic.twitter.com/RjcsS1MepO
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 4, 2026

However, this isn’t only happening to the Rams. This season, there have been the most red zone penalties per game by offenses in NFL history according to Sharp. More than 56.55 percent of red zone flags are on offense, which is up from 48 percent. There have also been the most penalties on third and fourth downs in the second half of games in NFL history.

For as frustrating as some of the penalties have been at times, context is important. This season, the relationship between the NFL players, league, and its officials has hit a breaking point. This week, the NFL suspended two officials for their on-field behavior. The 2026 season has seen the most flags in over a decade.

Penalties are certainly up for the Rams, but that’s also the case around the league. Despite the Rams being penalized more, they are still only tied for the 10th-most penalties per game with five other teams, and there are eight teams between 7.5 and 8.0 penalties per game. They have lost 0.15 EPA per play due to penalties, which is the 11th-worst in the NFL. With that said, the Rams still have a net penalty count of -11, which is the fourth-worst.

Penalty Impact so far this year

(Somehow another Vikings defense stat) pic.twitter.com/0DByDipxfG
— Stick to the Model (@StickToTheModel) October 5, 2026

This is a case where multiple things can be true at the same time. Penalties are up around the NFL as a whole. Comparatively speaking, the Rams are also committing more penalties and ranking higher than they have in the past. The Rams have also been on the wrong side of some of the 50-50 calls, most notably the defensive pass interference penalty on Josh Wallace at the end of the game against the Broncos.

Throughout McVay’s tenure, the Rams have generally been one of the more disciplined teams in the NFL. It’s part of what makes the more recent uptick so jarring. Some of the increase can be attributed to the league-wide trend, but the Rams are also to blame. McVay has made it clear that those are mistakes that they need to clean up.

The league-wide trend of more penalties being called certainly adds some context, but it doesn't completely excuse the Rams' lack of discipline over the last two weeks. There are still things that they can control. If the Rams are going to reach their ceiling as a Super Bowl contender, they can't continue allowing self-inflicted mistakes to take points off the board.

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