The Chicago Bears have begun the season with a penalty problem. Through their first four games, the Bears had 30 penalties accepted against them. Coming out of the bye week, Chicago still averages the fifth-most penalties per game in the NFL with 8.5. With the bye week now in the rearview mirror, Bears fans are hoping Ben Johnson and the coaching staff have found a way to help players reduce the penalties committed.
If those issues aren't ironed out, Chicago could be in big trouble on Monday night against the Washington Commanders. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Referee Alex Moore and his crew will be working the Bears game on Monday night. Moore and his crew have already handed out 95 penalties this season, with 22 of them being declined. That level of officiating activity could spell disaster for a Bears team that continues to struggle with self-inflicted mistakes. If Chicago didn’t figure out a way to minimize penalties during the bye week, this assignment doesn’t bode well for them.
Bears' Penalty Issues Could Be a Huge Problem in Week 6
Most of the Bears’ penalties this season have come on offense. Chicago has been flagged nine times for false starts, four times for holding, once for intentional grounding, and once each for an illegal shift, face mask, chop block, ineligible man downfield, and an illegal motion. Naturally, these infractions have hurt the Bears' offensive success.
On Tuesday, Johnson spoke to the media about this issue following the bye week and was quick to point out that these mistakes were self-inflicted issues that are negatively impacting the team on both sides of the ball.
"We're shooting ourselves in the foot quite a bit, and when I look at where we were through the first four weeks, lots of penalties," Johnson said, via @CHGO_Bears on X. "So we're playing behind the sticks, and you can certainly feel that."
The head coach's assessment of how the penalties are impacting the team is entirely correct. That said, if they were unable to find a way to reduce penalties during the bye week, the crew assigned to Monday night's game is going to have a field day.
This only adds to the pressure Chicago is facing. Everyone remembers what happened in Washington last year with the "Fail Mary" that stole a victory away from the Bears. While it's a new coaching staff, much of the roster remains the same, and they would like to wash out that memory.
The only way to accomplish that is by putting together a good game and defeating the Commanders. However, if penalties plague the offense again, that likely won't happen.