The Numbers Confirm the NFL and Its Refs Should be Ashamed

You may have heard, people are not happy with the NFL right now and its penalties. A lot of the time when the world comes together and complains, the numbers show they don't have much to be mad about and are being prisoners of the moment. So, when the average soul is mad for good reason, it needs to be noted. Because it turns out, their observation on the NFL is correct. Yes, there really are more flags being thrown per game in professional football.

It doesn't take a statistics major to look at that year-by-year chart and know 2019 is about to cause a drastic change in the mean, median, and mode of penalties a game for the past four seasons. Which goes back to the question: why, Roger?

The NFL product is clearly less enjoyable right now as a result. They have taken away the fan moment where they can cheer and be irrational after a big play. Now, they are forced to wonder if there was a flag on the play. It's slowing down the game, changing the momentum, and most importantly, altering the outcomes. Not only are they throwing flags so often you recognize the officials' faces, names, and body types, they are getting them wrong. Eighteen-point three a game, and based on last night, we have to question if even 70 percent are correct.

The penalties have been so inconsistent it's impossible to know what is holding, hands to face, pass interference, or unsportsmanlike conduct. Oh, wait, that is because the refs don't know, either. The NFL and its officials should be so ashamed of their calls last night in the Lions and Packers game that they need to issue an apology the entire football nation.

The officiating this season has been embarrassing, inexcusable, confusing, shameful, and bad enough to make you change alliances to the XFL.