The Green Bay Packers might be tired of flags, but they could be seeing even more on "Thursday Night Football."
Scott Novak, the referee who has thrown the most flags this season, has been assigned to Green Bay's game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. Novak's crew has thrown 141 flags through seven games and now he'll be officiating a game that features the Packers
– the league's most flagged team.The Packers are no stranger to Novak, who was the referee in the team's Week 2 win over the New York Jets. Despite the victory, Green Bay was flagged a season-high 14 times for 133 yards.
It's an assignment that came just days after the Packers voiced plenty of frustration with referee Alex Moore in their Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions.
"I don't
know how the NFL's going to treat it, but I'm not a big fan of the refs right now," Packers' safety Xavier McKinney said, via Fox Milwaukee's Lily Zhao. "I don't think it's great officiating, if I'm being completely honest. I think it's (expletive) a lot of the times."
McKinney later noted he would rather be fined if it meant helping his team.
Micah Parsons, who is continuing to recover from a torn ACL, shared his frustration with a post on X: "let’s just go to flag football if everytime a qb gets touched it’s roughing the passer!"
Head coach Matt LaFleur, however, didn't want to talk about the controversial calls after the game.
"I don't even want to comment on any of the penalties," LaFleur said. "I just – it is what it is. You got to play above it, and I thought there were some tough calls, but it is what it is."
The Packers aren't alone in their frustrations. And while it's true fans and players have always criticized officials and the profession has come under greater scrutiny with the rise of fantasy sports and betting putting billions of dollars on the line each season, it's also true that more flags than usual are flying this NFL season.
NFL flags are up in 2026
NFL games are averaging 16.9 flags per game this season, according to data from NFLPenalties.com. That is the highest average since the site began tracking in 2009.
That means teams average about 8.4 penalties per game, only the third time since 2009 the number has risen above 8.0.
The biggest difference? Offensive holding. There has been an average of 3.25 holding penalties per game called on offenses this season, the first time that number has exceeded three since 2009. The previous high was 2.75 per game in 2018.
"Delay of game" is also on pace to set a new high this season, averaging over one per game for the first time since the site began tracking. However, that can be best explained by the usage of hard counts in an attempt to draw the defense offside on fourth down.
In other words, some are self-inflicted penalties and not necessarily a judgment call by the referee.
NFL penalties by week 2026
Here is the breakdown by week during the 2026 season:
- Week 1: 16.38
- Week 2: 16.44
- Week 3: 16.94
- Week 4: 19.25
- Week 5: 16.73
- Week 6: 17.57
- Week 7: 14.43
According to ESPN Insights, the NFL had seen the most accepted penalties through Week 4 since play-by-play data became available in 1978.
In Week 4 alone, the 271 accepted penalties were the second-most of any week in that span.
Which team is the most penalized in the NFL this season?
Heading into Week 8, the Green Bay Packers are the most penalized team with a total of 65 flags in seven games.
Which team is the least penalized in the NFL this season?
The Minnesota Vikings are the least penalized team in the league prior to Week 8, with just 34 flags in six games. Of the teams that played all seven weeks, the Indianapolis Colts own the fewest number of flags with only 36.
Tom Brady criticizes referees during Lions vs. Packers game
It has become increasingly common for broadcasters to sound off on the calls made by referees, and Brady is no exception. The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback-turned-broadcaster didn't hide his disgust with some of the calls from Alex Moore's crew in Week 7.
In the fourth quarter, Detroit's Derrick Barnes was flagged for unnecessary roughness after hitting Green Bay's MarShawn Lloyd.
"Oh, come on, man," Brady said. "Come on. [Jordan] Love throws it over the middle. There’s linebackers in the middle. He’s just turning his right shoulder away from it. That’s allowed 99 out of 100 [times].
"It’s a bang-bang play. I know in super slow-mo every little minute frame looks like a lot, but when you’re on the field, you’ve got to pursue that ball. If [Lloyd] catches it, [Barnes] needs force to knock him on the ground. He needs force to knock that ball out. He can’t go in there and put his hand on him.”
— The Comeback NFL (@TheComebackNFL) October 25, 2026
Later in the fourth, Brady again took issue with a roughing-the-passer flag on the Packers' Karl Brooks that put Jared Goff and the Lions on the edge of field goal range with just over two minutes left.
“Oh my goodness, what is that?” Brady said. “There’s no way. Brooks on the tackle. Kind of makes a great play. It’s a bang-bang play. He rolls off his body. It’s a great throw by Goff. It’s definitely not roughing the passer.
"I mean, you just – you’re just ripping through the line of scrimmage to try to get the quarterback on the ground. Look, I love Goff standing there in the pocket. But you just can’t keep tacking on 15 yards.”
— The Comeback NFL (@TheComebackNFL) October 25, 2026
NFL on Fox rule analyst Dean Blandino agreed with Brady's assessment:
“It wasn’t late,” Blandino said. “They might have said head/neck area. But this is not head/neck area. His head is up. That’s teach-tape tackle. That’s not roughing the passer.”
This isn't the first time a broadcast had a problem with Moore's officiating. During the 2025 season, ESPN's Troy Aikman took aim at the referee during a flag-filled "Monday Night Football" game between the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals.
"The product's not very good," Aikman said on Sept. 29, 2025. "I'm gonna be honest. It's not very good. I mean, this is ridiculous."
It was the 22nd penalty of the night and the 15th accepted when Aikman made the comment with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
Aikman's frustration was spurred on by a penalty called on Denver's Alex Palczewski. The offensive lineman was flagged for a blindside block moments before – a call that ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk agreed with. Aikman, however, seemingly had enough.
"I'm not gonna keep my mouth shut," Aikman said of the penalty after it was announced by Moore. "That's a good call. Just not a necessary call. No opportunity to try and make a play.
"Nothing brings a broadcast to a screeching halt more than these yellow flags," Aikman continued after taking a break for a play – an assessment that Yurk also agreed with.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: "Thursday Night Football" could be a showcase for NFL's rising penalty trend
