The Buffalo Bills had some tough penalties go against them in their playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The first that comes to mind is an illegal block by offensive lineman Cody Ford. That play had many Bills fans up in arms because the penalty in overtime took the Bills out of field goal range. The Texans went on to win the game a short while later.
But was the penalty a fluke, or something more? Maybe more.
This should be an area Buffalo works on cleaning up in 2020, but last season the Bills were flagged 124 times for penalties. In total, the Bills lost 991 yards on these plays. That 124 numbers was a tie for the sixth-most in the NFL.
Of course, that’s not the end all, be all, however, the less, the better. The Bills are not in a place where the other team with 124 penalties are. That lone team is the defending Super Bowl winning Chiefs. Their team has a prolific offense that can overcome such flags. But there’s more to this dynamic than just penalties the Bills took.
