One of the main reasons the Patriots have 10 wins despite injuries to Tom Brady and several other players is penalties.
Or, we should say, the lack thereof.
The Patriots have a chance to set an NFL record for fewest penalties in a season. They have been flagged with 55 penalties that have been accepted. The record is 59, by last year's Seahawks. For the sake of comparison, the Vikings have the 15th-highest number of penalties (88), while the Cowboys have a league-leading 115.
It's possible for the precise Pats to be penalized three or fewer times when they finish the regular season against Buffalo on Sunday. After all, they have one game (against St. Louis) in which they weren't penalized and one other (against Seattle) in which they were penalized only once.
"I use the Patriots as a model all the time," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said before last week's game against the Patriots. "When you play them, you know you have to play well because they don't make mistakes."
The Patriots were penalized seven times in their 47-7 victory over the Cardinals.
