The Ten NFL Teams That Cheat Most and the Broncos' Shocking Ranking

Our post about the NFL teams with the most annoying fans according to users of theCHIVE prompted a spirited conversation among readers, with many ripping those who follow the New England Patriots.

In response, a reader posted a link to a website called Your Team Cheats, which calculates the number of times over the years a given team has been caught breaking the rules and ranks the offenders.

No surprise why a Patriots booster would love the site. Even though New England has a reputation for being the cheating-est squad in the league, it finishes a modest 23rd among the 32 NFL franchises.

And the Broncos? They made the top ten. Oh man, did they. And while a lot of the selections are subjective, there's plenty of documentation to support the opinions.

Continue to count down the ten biggest cheaters according to Your Team Cheats, featuring a cheating sample excerpt from the site for each team. For scads of additional information, click here.

10. Miami Dolphins
(CheatScore of 30 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Tampergate (1970)

The Dolphins committed three counts of tampering in order to hire "Double-Dealing" Don Shula* as their coach in 1970. DD Don* was still the coach of the Baltimore Colts at the end of the 1969 season, when then-Miami owner Joe Robbie approached him and signed Shula* to a contract. You can't do that. That's cheating.....

9. Baltimore Ravens
(CheatScore of 30 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Impedegate (2013)

With the Ravens leading 34-31 with four seconds left in Super Bowl XLVII and readying themselves for a free kick after taking a deliberate safety, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was heard telling teammates to come off the sideline and tackle 49ers' returner Ted Ginn Jr., if need be.

Flacco, who was one of many players wearing a microphone for NFL Films, told teammates Dennis Pitta and Matt Birk on the sideline that they couldn't let Ginn run free. "If he starts to break it, go tackle him," Flacco told Pitta....

8. Washington Redskins
(CheatScore of 31 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Noisegate (2000)

The National Football League fined the Washington Redskins $20,000 for breaking league crowd-noise control rules by using their public address system for cheerleading during the team's victory over Tampa Bay on Oct. 1, 2000....

7. Indianapolis Colts
(CheatScore of 32 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: SuckForLuckgate (2011)

In 2011, the Colts were accused of intentionally losing games to earn the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft so they could select star Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Fans of the Colts dubbed it the "Suck for Luck" campaign. Fans of competitive integrity called it blatant and ham-handed cheating....

6. Oakland Raiders
(CheatScore of 32 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Raidergate (70s)

According to former Raider Matt Millen, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis had a sign with the "Raider Rules" posted above the Raiders locker room:

THE RAIDER RULES

1. Cheating is encouraged
2. See rule #1


5. New York Giants
(CheatScore of 35 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Fixgate (1946)

The Giants fullback Merle Hapes and quarterback Frank Filchock both admitted to being offered $2,500 bribes from Alvin Paris to lose by more than the 10-point spread before the 1946 NFL championship game against the Bears....

4. San Francisco 49ers
(CheatScore of 35 = ABOVE AVERAGE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Stickumgate (90s)

Former San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice admitted in an ESPN video history on the evolution of wide receiver gloves that he illegally used stickum on his own gloves to make his job easier....

3. Pittsburgh Steelers
(CheatScore of 40 = EXCEPTIONAL NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Steroidgate (1970-2007)

Richard Rydze, a Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor from 1985 to 2007, was indicted in 2012 for his long history of purchasing and illegally prescribing anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and painkillers. The physician was also charged with health care fraud for falsely diagnosing more than 90 patients with pituitary dwarfism so they could receive human growth hormones and drugs meant to counteract the side-effects of steroid use....

2. New York Jets
(CheatScore of 44 = ELITE NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: Trippygate (2010)

New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi stuck out his left knee and intentionally tripped Miami Dolphins cornerback and gunner Nolan Carroll as he ran up the sideline on punt coverage during the Jets' 10-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their 2010 Week 14 regular season game. Alosi later admitted that the tripping was intentional.

1. Denver Broncos
(CheatScore of 48 = THE BIGGEST NFL Cheaters)

Sample cheat: PEDSgate (12x since 2003)

In the past decade, the Denver Broncos have had — by far — the most players suspended for PED usage.... The Broncos have cheated so much with PEDs that they've maxed out the potential points in this category. They should be at 12.0 CheatPoints based on the standards applied to the other 31 teams....