To say the Green Bay Packers have been undisciplined throughout their first two games would be an understatement.
The Packers sit 1-1 ahead of a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, and they need to solve a huge problem if they want to find more sustained success in the rest of the year.
After just two games of the 2026 regular season, the Packers have 26 penalties counted against them. That number leads the league so far, five ahead of the second-place team (New York Jets, 21). This number also only counts the accepted penalties.
When including penalties that offset or were declined, the number of total flags thrown against the Packers rises to a whopping 32.
Packers' penalty issues cannot become a season-long problem
To put it in perspective, the Packers' penalty tally is already nearly a third of their entire total from 2025. Last year, the Packers had 134 total flags thrown against them, with 112 counting, good for about eight flags per game.
Through just two games, the team is already averaging 13 penalties a game. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers' penalty tallies are their most after two games since 1947, painting a concerning picture.
Needless to say, that is a huge problem. The Packers have traditionally been a fairly disciplined team, all things considered, and it's helped in a variety of ways. Getting off the field is big in any era of the NFL, but never more so in today's game, when offenses can score much faster than in previous generations. Giving up foolish penalties, especially on key downs, hurts the team.
Just last week, the Packers had six of their 13 penalties called on third or fourth down. The week prior, a number of penalties (some questionable and some not) kept a drive alive that ultimately flipped the momentum of the game against the Minnesota Vikings. Although it's only two weeks in, it's clear the penalties have become a bit of an issue for the Packers.
Stopping them is a trickier problem. It's impossible to just tell a team to get more disciplined on the spot, but for the Packers, many of their flags are coming on plays that can be minimized to a degree. Things like unnecessary roughness, taunting, and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties can be reined in a bit by the players, no matter how warranted or unwarranted the flags may be.
Ultimately, the Packers will have to fix the problem. So far, they have been called for over 230 yards worth of penalties. With the team already struggling to find stability at places like the offensive line and running back, they simply can't afford to also make mistakes that negate any positive play, as well. It's a tough issue to fix, but one that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
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