There's no hotter sports topic right now than the trending criminal violence among NFL players. But while prominent figures like Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice are receiving the bulk share of media coverage, their respective situations represent a much deeper problem within football culture.

At the same time, some NFL franchises are better at avoiding this behavior than others. Is Adrian Peterson an isolated case, or does he play for a franchise that always seems to find its players in trouble?

Thanks to Dayton Business Journal, we now know the answer. View the slideshow below to see which teams have the best and worst arrest rates in the NFL.

Best, Worst NFL Team Arrest Rates

 

WORST: MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Adrian Peterson is the poster-child, but the Vikings have a genuinely systemic problem: Their 32 arrests in the past 10 years are tied for the league lead. As fans grow impatient with illegal activity among players, franchises like Minnesota's may feel the heat for their role.

 

WORST: DENVER BRONCOS

Tied with the Vikings is the Denver Broncos, which has had as many arrests since 2005 as the NFL has teams. Despite the well-known locker room presences of Tim Tebow and then Peyton Manning, Broncos players have a knack for finding trouble.

 

WORST: CINCINNATI BENGALS

With their recent streak of playoff appearances, you can't quite call them the Bungles. But that string of successes has come amid plenty of off-field problems: Cincinnati's NFL team has had 31 arrests since 2005.

 

WORST: TENNESSEE TITANS

Pacman Jones may be one of the team's most notorious criminal problems, but he's far from alone. In the past 10 years, a Titans player has been arrested 30 times.

 

WORST: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

It's fitting that a franchise that flies a pirate flag at games would be on the lesser end of the player-arrest spectrum. The Bucs have struggled with off-field problems in the last decade, tallying 26 arrests.

 

BEST: CAROLINA PANTHERS

Carolina is one of three teams with only nine arrests in 10 years. Only five of the NFL's 32 teams have averaged fewer than one arrest per year.

 

BEST: DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys can't seem to put it all together and make a run at the Super Bowl, but their off-field distractions aren't a major detractor. The franchise has just nine arrests to its name since 2005.

 

BEST: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Maybe it's the steady leadership of coach Bill Belichick, who has always had a no-nonsense approach to being a team leader. If so, his system is working: the Patriots have the third-best mark in the league with only nine arrests in the past decade.

 

BEST: HOUSTON TEXANS

On the downside, rookie head coach Bill O'Brien inherited a team that went 2-14 last season. On the bright side, the locker room hasn't been crawling with bad influences. Houston has had only eight arrests in the past 10 years, the second-best mark in the NFL.

 

BEST: ARIZONA CARDINALS

That's right: The least criminally offensive NFL team can be found in Arizona. The Cardinals franchise can claim just seven arrests in the past 10 years.

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