NFC Playoffs Best and Worst: Disciplined and Undisciplined

Here's a look at the NFC playoff field through the prism of penalties and turnovers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In playoff football, overcoming the opponent is difficult enough without having to overcome your own mistakes.

Look at the Las Vegas Raiders from Saturday’s wild-card playoff loss at the Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders outgained the Bengals by 75 yards. They ran the ball better and they were better on third down. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Going minus-2 on turnovers, committing too many holding penalties and a huge blunder on special teams all had a hand in their season ending with a 26-19 loss.

The 33rd Team, the Web site operated by former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum, created a Discipline Index. The ranking incorporates the number of penalties, penalty yardage and turnovers on a per-game basis. The Raiders ranked 32nd, so Saturday’s performance was in line with its season-long play.

Here’s a look at the NFC field.

No. 1: Green Bay Packers (13-4)

Discipline Ranking: First (1.6).

Noteworthy: The Packers committed the fewest penalties in the league and tied for the fewest turnovers. They probably would have had the fewest turnovers in the league outright if not for the backups handing it over three times in the finale vs. Detroit. In the first 16 games, Green Bay had only 10 giveaways – tied for the second-fewest in NFL history behind the Saints’ eight in 2019. With homefield advantage, it’s worth noting Green Bay was guilty of 25 penalties in eight home games – 11 less than any other team.

No. 2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4)

Discipline Ranking: 10th (2.2).

Noteworthy: The Buccaneers were eighth in giveaways and 10th in penalties. The pass-happy Bucs went 7-1 when Tom Brady didn’t throw an interception. Interestingly, Tampa Bay benefited from a league-low 79 penalties, so it went minus-18 in penalties (second-worst in the league) and minus-239 in penalty yards (third-worst).

No. 3: Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

Discipline Ranking: 31st (2.7).

Noteworthy: The Cowboys were guilty of the most penalties, their 127 being almost double Green Bay’s league-low 69. Only the Raiders had fewer penalty yards. Its 20 giveaways were the 10th-fewest. What’s interesting is the Cowboys forced their opponents into incredibly undisciplined play. They benefited from 121 penalties, the second-most in the league, and forced a league-high 34 turnovers.

No. 4: L.A. Rams (12-5)

Discipline Ranking: Sixth (1.9)

Noteworthy: The Rams were guilty of 76 penalties, tied for the third-fewest in the league. However, they tied for 17th with 23 giveaways. Matthew Stafford threw a league-high 17 interceptions, with eight of those coming the last three games. The Rams went 6-0 when Stafford didn’t throw an interception.

No. 5: Arizona Cardinals (11-6)

Discipline Ranking: 15th (2.3).

Noteworthy: The Cardinals’ 15 giveaways were the fourth-fewest in the league, and no team lost fewer fumbles than their four. They went 6-1 in zero-turnover games. On the other hand, their 114 penalties were the fourth-most in the league. The Cardinals will play at the Rams on Sunday. Arizona had zero giveaways when it beat the Rams and two when it lost to the Rams.

No. 6: San Francisco 49ers (10-7)

Discipline Ranking: 27th (2.6).

Noteworthy: No team was guilty of more big penalties than the Niners. They were in the middle in the pack in penalties but had the third-most penalty yards. They were a league-worst minus-273 in penalty yards. Meanwhile, their 24 giveaways are the most in the NFC playoff field. They went 5-0 in zero-turnover games.

No. 7: Philadelphia Eagles (9-8)

Discipline Ranking: Ninth (2.1).

Noteworthy: The Eagles finished fifth with only 16 giveaways. When they won four straight down the stretch, it had zero turnovers in three games. Quarterback Jalen Hurts won five of his last six starts, the exception being a three-interception game at the Giants. They finished 24th in net penalties at minus-18.

More In This Series

Whether you win by one point or 101 points, a win is a win is a win.

Nonetheless, style points do matter and teams that usually dominate week to week tend to have more success in the playoffs.

So, in the latest in a series, here's the NFC field:https://t.co/mJGJiWC5Xt

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 13, 2022

Quarterbacks obviously rule the NFL, and especially in the playoffs.

That means stopping those quarterbacks is critical for championship success.

Combining those factors, here's a look at the NFC playoff field.https://t.co/CNMNRQTr6s

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 13, 2022

This season, teams that won the turnover battle won 80 percent of the time. The #Packers were undefeated.
In the latest in a series, here's a look at turnovers and the NFC playoff field.https://t.co/Q0ttlHm42o

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 12, 2022

The #Packers went 5-1 against the playoff field. Here's how that stacks up against the rest of the NFC.https://t.co/nteflNVrqW

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 11, 2022