GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -The call was iffy at best.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson barely wrapped his right arm around wide receiver Sidney Rice before turning to intercept Brett Favre's pass in the end zone just before halftime of Monday night's game at Minnesota. Woodson was called for interference and the Vikings scored on the next play, a critical point in a game decided by a touchdown.

But the Packers can't protest too loudly. Even if Woodson hadn't been whistled, linebacker Desmond Bishop was ruled offside on the same play. They also drew penalties on the touchdown and ensuing kickoff.

Three plays, four flags.

Penalties once again are piling up for the Packers, and it's a major reason for their disappointing 2-2 start going into this week's bye. Coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged penalties are proving costly, but didn't want to speculate whether his team is becoming known for undisciplined play.

``I'm going to avoid opinions about reputations and things like that,'' McCarthy said.

The numbers, however, suggest so.

According to STATS LLC, the Packers have been flagged 34 times in four games this season, tying them with Oakland and Kansas City for third most in the NFL behind St. Louis and Buffalo. The Packers have the third-most accepted penalties (30) and seventh-most yards in penalties (229) this season.

Last season, they were tied for third in most penalties called (125), were second in number of penalties accepted (110) and had a league-worst 984 yards.

They were the league's fourth-most penalized team in 2007, drawing 127 flags (113 accepted). Their 1,006 yards that year ranked only behind Arizona - although that certainly didn't stop them from going 13-3.

Now, however, the penalties are beginning to show up in the score.

``It's something that is addressed,'' McCarthy said. ``I don't like the way we have more penalties than them. That has happened way too much. As far as the penalty and what (is) happening, the field position and the magnitude of the penalties is the thing that is really hurting us.''

For all their pass protection problems this season, the Packers' offense has been above average in terms of discipline; according to STATS, they've only had nine offensive penalties accepted this season, putting them among the league's best.

Defense and special teams are a different story.

According to STATS, the Packers have 11 accepted defensive penalties in 2009, tying them with Oakland for most in the league. And the Packers are tied with Buffalo for most accepted special teams penalties with 10; they have incurred holding penalties three times on kickoffs and four times on punts - most in the league on both counts.

To some extent, the flags could be a function of the Packers' youth; for the fourth year in a row, they had the league's youngest roster going into the regular season.

Beyond that, however, is the way the Packers approach penalties.

While presnap penalties such as false starts and offsides drive McCarthy up the wall just like any coach, the Packers take a somewhat permissive attitude toward so-called ``combative'' penalties such as holding and interference that can be considered byproducts of aggressive play.

``When you've got hand placement and things like that, they're going to call some penalties,'' McCarthy said. ``But we're definitely having more than the other guy right now and we have to get that fixed.''

Players say paying too much attention to avoiding penalties can lead to tentative play.

``It's just a part of the game,'' right tackle Allen Barbre said. ``A lot of times, you've just got to be perfect in your technique and that stuff still happens. ... Playing worried about the penalties is going to definitely hold you back. I don't think (McCarthy) really frowns on combative penalties.''

First-round draft pick B.J. Raji says the Packers' philosophy on penalties isn't much different from what other coaches taught him earlier in his career.

``Combative, coaches can deal with - you're fighting,'' Raji said. ``Some of the presnap things, some of the personal fouls, we obviously don't want to include that in our game. But we learn from it. The combative ones, you've kind of got to live with because you're teaching playing hard and some things will happen.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.