Analysis

12/16/20

1 min min read

Bill Belichick Coaching Tree Well Represented in This Week's Discipline Index

Despite losing to the Rams last Thursday, the New England Patriots jumped three spots in this week's Discipline Index to take the No. 1 spot in the rankings. And it's no coincidence that the three most disciplined teams here are coached by Bill Belichick or members of the Belichick coaching tree.

As a reminder, the Discipline Index combines penalties, penalty yards and turnovers to show which teams are making the fewest mistakes. The New England Patriots are No. 1 due in large part to the fact that they commit the fewest penalties per game for the fewest yards per game. Right behind New England in terms of fewest penalties and penalty yards are the Miami Dolphins, coached by former Pats assistant Brian Flores, and the Houston Texans, coached by former Pats defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel.

Another Belichick disciple, New York Giants rookie head coach Joe Judge, saw his team jump six spots to crack the Discipline Index top 10. It will be interesting to see if the Giants' improved discipline can be a factor Sunday when they face the Cleveland Browns, who rank 20th in Discipline.

Another interesting matchup will be the Chiefs-Saints game, a potential Super Bowl preview. The Chiefs and Saints rank 21st and 23rd, respectively, in the Discipline Index, so whichever of these teams can minimize their mistakes will have a big edge.

Here’s are the complete Discipline Index rankings:


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