The timing of each penalty can affect their influence on the game, and each one can dictate how coaches call the game.
The 13-2 Minnesota Vikings have benefited from a net gain of 317 penalty yards. That’s a league-leading mark that requires a lot of discipline. Each player must do their required task at an elite level.
It also involves a little bit of luck.
There are seven officials on the field during every play of the game. It is important to ensure that each of the seven is in line with and communicates thoroughly with the other officials on the field, both teams, and the fans throughout the game.
It’s important to understand that they will not see or call all penalties. However, some penalties are more frustrating. There have been blatant missed calls, like the facemask on Sam Darnold in the Los Angeles Rams game. There have also been questionable ticky-tack fouls, like the defensive holding call on a Will Reichard field goal against the Atlanta Falcons that ultimately led to a Vikings touchdown.
Since the league started recording net penalty yards in 2006, the Vikings have only had negative net penalty yards six times. The worst was in 2021, when they were second to last in the league with -257 yards, only 16 yards behind the last-place San Francisco 49ers.
Minnesota’s 317 net penalty yards this season are the best in the league by a large margin. The Los Angeles Chargers’ net gain of 157 penalty yards is 160 yards less than the Vikings.
When looking at net penalty yardage, it’s hard to ignore that Minnesota’s best game in terms of net yardage was the +92 yards in Week 14 against Atlanta. In that game, the Vikings gave up 35 yards on six penalties, while the Falcons ceded 127 yards on 12 penalties.
Some bigger-yardage penalties were the 47-yard defensive pass interference against Mike Hughes on Jordan Addison and the defensive holding call on Kentavius Street on the field goal attempt. Both happened on the same drive, which led to a Minnesota touchdown.
The Vikings are league leaders in opponent penalties and earning first downs via penalties.
When we look at critical drives in key moments of games, Minnesota’s ability to draw a penalty and not give one up shows the discipline and professionalism any fanbase would love to see on both sides of the ball. That says a lot about the coaching staff and the culture they’ve created.
The Vikings are top three in penalty yardage since Kevin O’Connell took over three years ago.
Take last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. On Seattle’s final drive, it commits a false start to start the drive, leading to Theo Jackson’s interception on the next play. The Seahawks would likely pass to begin the drive anyway, given they were down three with under a minute left and no timeouts. However, those extra five yards made the situation much more dire for the Seahawks as they tried to get into field goal range.
There were also examples in Week 15 against the Chicago Bears. On Minnesota’s first drive of the fourth quarter, the officials nullified a Bears interception due to a critical defensive pass interference penalty against Tyrique Stevenson on Addison. A couple of plays later, that penalty led to a touchdown, allowing the Vikings to go up 27-6 and practically seal their 30-12 victory.
The Vikings have two of the top pass-catching threats in the NFL. They also have a dynamic and physical running back, one of the league’s top tight ends, and a defense that can confuse the best of any offensive lineman. Therefore, teams will try to manufacture an advantage against this talented Vikings team. Expect the differential in penalty yards to grow in the season’s final few weeks.
