Analysis
1/5/22
3 min read
Green Bay Packers Are Still the NFL's Most Disciplined Team
Barring a horrific discipline performance in Week 18, the Green Bay Packers have clinched the top spot in The 33rd Team’s Discipline Index after a Week 17 performance that saw the Packers only commit one penalty for five yards and not turn the ball over once en route to a 37-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay has also clinched the top seed in the NFC ahead of a matchup against the Detroit Lions in Week 18.Â
Here is how the top-10 of the Discipline Index unfolds heading into Week 18:
As a reminder, The 33rd Team’s Discipline Index combines the number of penalties, penalty yardage and turnovers on a per-game basis in order to show which teams are able to play the most mistake-free football in any given week.
Even though the Los Angeles Rams have won their past five games, their last two wins have been tough from a discipline standpoint. While the Rams have only committed 5 penalties for 40 yards over their past two games, it has been turnovers by quarterback Matt Stafford that have dropped the Rams from the top-three in our Discipline Index. Stafford has turned the ball over six times in the Rams’ past two outings, including 5 interceptions when he only had 10 interceptions over the Rams’ first 15 games of the year.
Due to the amount of turnovers Stafford committed against the Ravens in Week 17, the Rams have dropped down to the sixth spot in our rankings. This is an important development to watch as the Rams have really not turned the ball over a ton this year—Los Angeles only has 21 turnovers on the year and had 15 prior to Week 16—but turnovers can prove to be incredibly costly, especially in the playoffs. Stafford has had four games this year with 2 or more turnovers, and the Rams’ record in those games is 2-2 with their margin of victory being an average of four points per game. Los Angeles will have a chance to clean up the turnovers against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18—the Niners were one of the two teams LA lost to when Stafford committed two or more turnovers this year.Â
On a more positive note, the Los Angeles Chargers were able to move up four spots in this week’s Discipline Index after avenging an earlier loss to the Denver Broncos. This win saw the Chargers only commit 3 penalties for 22 yards along with not turning the ball over once. The last time the Chargers met the Broncos, they turned the ball over twice and committed 9 penalties for 75 yards, so this Week 17 performance was worlds better than the previous one against Denver. Los Angeles has now put themselves in a position to win or tie against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18 in order to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season.Â
Here is how the full Discipline Index looks heading into Week 18:Â
