Penalties have become the name of the game. If you look at just the Green Bay Packers against the New York Jets in Week 2, September 20th, a whopping 27 flags flew (14 on the Packers, 13 on the Jets), wiping 289 yards collectively off the field. The first slot of Sunday’s games had so many flags that it caused Meghan Payton Anderson – daughter of Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton – to wonder aloud about one particular type of flag she saw a lot on the field: taunting.

“Already 3 taunting calls today,” Meghan wrote on her X handle. “Has the NFL gotten too strict with taunting penalties?”

The three penalties Meghan saw all came from three different games. In the Packers – Jets game, Packers safety Javon Bullard got a flag for taunting. Jets’ first possession in the first quarter, on a 3rd & 9 at the Jets’ 17-yard-line, Bullard broke up a pass intended for Adonai Mitchell, and started talking trash to the wide receiver, resulting in the unsportsmanlike conduct drawing a 15-yard penalty in favor of the Jets. Incidentally, Bullard is also the player who delivered a hit that knocked Kyler Murray out of the Packers’ Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings, likely adding to the “NFL got too strict” discourse around him specifically.

The second one – a 15-yard penalty on New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver Chris Olave – came in their clash with the Baltimore Ravens. With 2:20 left in the first quarter, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough threw a deep left pass to Olave who caught it over the shoulder for a 20-yard gain. But right after he was pushed down out of bounds, he got up, and threw the ball down, and taunted the Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, drawing the flag and a 15-yard penalty.

As for the third one, that came in the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. On the Patriots’ first possession, facing a 1st & 10 at Pittsburgh’s 34-yard-line, Pats quarterback Drake Maye threw a short left pass to Rhamondre Stevenson only to be tackled by Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig. The ensuing fumble was recovered by fellow LB Payton Wilson. But a flag flew on cornerback Jalen Ramsey who decided to throw down a taunt in celebration of the fumble.

Now, these aren’t really isolated incidents. Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams landed a $11,941 fine for taunting New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin on a fourth quarter touchdown in Week 1. As for the league’s broader standards, taunting isn’t something they take kindly to.

The ‘21 season saw a massive 61 taunting penalties, 22 in 2022, 18 in 2023, 21 in 2024, wrapping it all up with 28 last season. These penalties – as well as illegal celebrations – all draw 15-yard penalties from the officials. Per reports this offseason, the NFL had explicitly confirmed its plans to continue the strict crackdown into 2026.

Now, talking about the Broncos, they just finished dominating the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13 in their Week 2 clash at Empower Field at Mile High. Even here, 14 total flags flew (10 on the Broncos for 53 yards, 4 on the Jaguars for 40 yards). Although, none of these flags were for taunting – something Meghan Payton Anderson might be relieved to see.

With this victory, Sean Payton’s squad has improved to 1-1 on the season, and now get ready to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. The flags, meanwhile, are going to rain down more than ever as the NFL works to ensure fair play and limit unsportsmanlike conduct. If the franchises don’t warn their players to limit their emotions on the field – impending fines aside – these flags would continue to wipe out crucial yards from their 2026 campaign.