Arizona Cardinals need to address offensive line penalties

In the 2020 NFL season the Arizona Cardinals were the most penalized team in the league. Four of the top ten penalty drawing players were members of the offensive line, an issue that needs to be heavily addressed going into 2021.

Topping the list was left guard Justin Pugh who drew 9 penalties for 58 yards. Left tackle D.J. Humphries racked up 6 for 30 yards, right tackle Kelvin Beachum added another 6 for 45 yards, and center Mason Cole had 5 for 25 yards.

Simply put, the offensive line contributing 26 penalties for over 150 yards is something that cannot happen in the National Football League. Of the 26, 17 were false start penalties, something that points many to blame coaching for the amount of penalties accrued.

The Arizona Cardinals fanbase is rightfully in love with offensive line coach Sean Kugler, and many would instead pin the blame for undisciplined penalties on head coach Kliff Kingsbury. In his two seasons as head coach, Kingsbury’s Cardinals have drawn a whopping 234 penalties.

Regardless of where the blame lies for a penalty problem that many believe has roots in undisciplined coaching, the reality remains that for the Cardinals offense to be successful in 2021 the offensive line must play a cleaner game.

Infamously, the offensive line committed four false start penalties in the Week 11 game against Seattle that stalled drive after drive, leading in part to a 28-21 loss that put Arizona behind the sticks in the race toward the playoffs.

Coaches preach disciplined football, and in a league where every team is stocked with talented players it is critical to play clean in order to win games.

Looking forward into the 2021 season, the Arizona Cardinals as a whole will be looking to decrease penalties that were often drive-killers in 2020. A team-wide improvement in this area could dramatically improve the team that we will see take the field in the Fall.