NFL special teams rankings rarely begin with DeSean Jackson racing away from his own goal line. On September 20, 2009, against New Orleans, he caught a punt at Philadelphia’s 2 and reached the 33. Then came the flags, followed by a walk backward that swallowed almost everything he had gained.
Leonard Weaver and Chris Clemons both drew flags for illegal blocks above the waist. According to the play-by-play preserved by NFL Penalties, officials enforced Weaver’s foul from the Philadelphia 6 and declined Clemons’s penalty. Half-the-distance enforcement moved the ball back just three yards. Philadelphia’s offense nevertheless started at its own 3, a full 30 yards behind Jackson’s apparent finish.
Three penalty yards. Thirty yards of vanished field position. Those numbers describe the same play, but they tell very different stories.
The discrepancy exposes a problem with judging special teams through penalty totals alone. A flag’s true cost depends on what it takes away: breathing room, a scoring opportunity, or possession itself.
Three yards on the sheet and thirty on the field
The official measures the punishment from the enforcement spot, which can sit far behind the runner’s finish. Holding and illegal blocks in the back ordinarily carry 10-yard penalties, but half-the-distance enforcement can shrink that assessment near the offending team’s goal line.
Jackson’s return shows why the smaller number can mislead. The penalty column counted the official’s short walk; the offense inherited the much longer field.
Starting at the 40 gives a quarterback room to work. Starting at the 10 puts the end zone behind his heels and leaves more ground between his offense and a scoring chance. The difference has a measurable price.
Across first-and-10 situations in a published analysis of the 2025 regular season, expected points dropped from 1.96 at a team’s own 40 to 0.08 at its own 10. That puts the gap at 1.88 expected points—nearly two points of opportunity lost across 30 yards.
Those averages include different clocks and game conditions, so an individual play’s cost will vary. Still, they show how much can disappear behind a routine penalty announcement. As Aaron Schatz explains at FTN Fantasy, field position’s scoring value changes across the field; every yard does not carry the same weight.
Count the damage once
The comparison also needs an honest limit: an erased return does not prove the runner would have gained those yards legally. A hold might create the opening itself. Film must separate illegal help from a needless foul behind a runner already breaking free.
Keep the arithmetic equally clean. If enforcement moves an apparent finish at the 40 back to the 10, that 30-yard gap already includes the backward march. Adding another 10 penalty yards would count part of the loss twice.
Before adjusting a ranking, check what it already measures. A rating that captures the enforced starting position may already include the damage. Some flags, though, change something more valuable than the spot.
The flag that sends the defense back out
Dallas learned that against Buffalo on December 17, 2023. Late in the first quarter, the Bills faced fourth-and-8 at their own 26. Sam Williams broke through the protection and launched himself toward punter Sam Martin.
He missed the ball and hit Martin. The roughing penalty gave Buffalo 15 yards and a fresh set of downs. Josh Allen later found James Cook for an 18-yard touchdown, pushing the Bills’ lead to 14–0, according to the Cowboys’ official game recap. Buffalo won 31–10.
Williams had helped force the punt with pressure on third down. One snap later, his attempt to finish the job erased the stop. Dallas’s offense kept waiting while its defense returned to work.
Running into the kicker costs five yards. Roughing carries 15 yards and an automatic first down. Even the smaller foul can preserve a possession when its enforcement supplies the necessary distance.
No honest assessment should blame Williams alone for Buffalo’s victory. The Bills still had to execute the renewed drive, and Dallas had other failures. His penalty nevertheless changed who held the football, which matters far more than a routine 15-yard change in territory.
A season’s penalty total cannot distinguish those consequences without help. Evaluators should identify possession-extending fouls separately, then examine the scoring opportunity each one created.
Give the totals a fair comparison
Two return units can finish with the same number of accepted penalties and have very different problems. One may handle twice as many live returns. Another may repeatedly foul on the few opportunities it gets.
That makes opportunity counts essential. Penalties per return can reveal frequency, while enforced yardage and lost field position reveal different parts of the cost.
Keep the assignments separate, too. A punt-protection foul and a kickoff-return hold arise from different jobs. Combining them into one rate might describe the overall unit while concealing exactly where the breakdown occurs.
Declined and offsetting flags still deserve attention in the film room. They can expose poor technique even when they add no enforced yardage. For statistical comparisons, label them separately so readers know whether the total measures flags thrown or punishments accepted.
The goal should be a clearer diagnosis. Which group keeps surrendering territory, and what does the footage show before the official reaches for his flag?
The correction begins with a blocker’s hands
Pause the film before the jersey stretches. A coverage player starts to cross the blocker’s face, and the blocker reaches instead of moving his feet. By the time the runner passes, the desperate grab has already put the return at risk.
The correction needs more detail than “play disciplined.” USA Football’s contact manual emphasizes hand placement at the breastplate and controlled elbow position in its blocking instruction. Those mechanics give coaches something specific to teach and review.
On a return, the blocker must also maintain the leverage his assignment requires. If the scheme calls for keeping a defender inside, surrendering the outside shoulder creates a problem that grabbing cannot legally repair.
Hands inside the breastplate do not grant permission to restrain an opponent. Footwork must keep the blocker in position; when the defender escapes, releasing him can protect the return better than a desperate tug.
The runner’s location matters just as much. A blocker chasing a defender behind the ball should recognize when further contact offers little benefit. Finishing the assignment sometimes means letting the opponent go.
Watch the sideline when the flag lands
Picture the quarterback jogging toward the numbers, tugging his chin strap into place. Then he sees the flag. His steps shorten as the official points back toward the end zone, and the offense waits for a starting spot nobody wants.
Behind him, the coordinator looks down at the play sheet. The returner stands with his hands on his hips. A blocker walks past teammates who have just watched a long sprint turn into another possession with their backs against the goal line.
That frustration belongs in the story NFL special teams rankings tell. Count the fouls, weigh the opportunities, and check the field position. Then watch who has to absorb the mistake.
For the offense, the punishment begins with the first huddle. A promising return had offered room to attack; now every player can see the goal line a few steps behind the quarterback. One missed block or mishandled exchange could make the situation worse.
A season’s worth of reliable work still matters. Coaches cannot judge a unit by its ugliest flag alone. But a tidy penalty total offers little comfort when an avoidable foul strips away the returner’s effort.
The official sets the ball down. Helmets turn toward the sideline, the quarterback waits for the revised call, and the crowd’s roar drains away.
How many penalty yards? Look at their faces before asking.
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FAQs
Why does penalty yardage matter in NFL special teams rankings?
Penalty totals can understate the damage. A foul can erase a long return, worsen starting field position, or give the opponent another possession.
How can a three-yard penalty erase 30 yards of field position?
The official measures from the enforcement spot, not necessarily the runner’s finish. Jackson reached the 33, but enforcement left Philadelphia at its own 3.
What is the difference between roughing and running into the kicker?
Running into the kicker costs five yards. Roughing costs 15 yards and gives the kicking team an automatic first down.
How much does starting at the 10 instead of the 40 matter?
The article’s cited 2025 averages show expected points dropping from 1.96 to 0.08. The cost of an individual situation varies.
Should special teams penalties be measured per return?
Yes. Comparing fouls with return opportunities helps show how often a unit makes mistakes, while field position reveals more about their cost.
