The Buffalo Bills dealt with a heavy dose of penalties in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints, yet still came away with the win.
Around Bills circles, referee Land Clark has earned a reputation for unusual games whenever he’s on the field. While not necessarily biased or poor at his job, his games often feature strange twists. Sunday’s matchup was no exception.
Penalty Counts and Yards
Buffalo, normally disciplined this season, was flagged far more often than usual, while New Orleans—one of the most penalized teams in the league—was hit with fewer. Despite the imbalance, the yardage impact wasn’t as severe. The Bills had many flags, but most caused limited damage in terms of field position.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints drew only a handful of flags, but they were costly. A roughing-the-kicker penalty was particularly damaging, essentially handing Buffalo a new possession. Intentional grounding on quarterback Spencer Rattler also stood out, though the officials made the correct call. Overall, New Orleans ended up with 9.7 “Harm” points—just shy of the threshold for what’s considered a truly bad day with penalties.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo was flagged 12 times (11 accepted), yet somehow surrendered no downs directly from penalties. Cornerback Tre’Davious White had two holding calls, one declined and one added to a play where the Saints already had a first down. Other flags included false starts, offensive pass interference, holding, and an illegal shift. Despite the high count, Buffalo’s total Harm rating was just 8.0—lower than New Orleans.
Every single flag against Buffalo was legitimate upon review. Still, the sheer number and unusual circumstances fit the “Land Clark” pattern of strange officiating days.
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