Bears Need to Fix Clear Liability After Near-Upset vs. Rams in Week 4
2. Too many penalties
Entering this week, the Bears had committed 20 penalties for a combined 140 yards. Chicago's least penalized game was last week against the Colts, when it only committed four penalties for 25 yards. In the other two weeks, the Bears committed seven penalties for 55 yards and nine penalties for 60 yards. These penalty issues ruin drives on offense and extend drives on defense.
That is why teams typically focus on taking as few miscues as possible. The Bears don't seem to get this, though, as this week they had 10 penalties for a combined 84 yards. The offense had multiple pre-snap penalties against the Rams, including two false starts from Cole Kmet. The worst offensive penalty was an illegal blindside block that ruined the Bears' second drive of the game.
Defensively, Chicago had a personal foul for a late hit out of bounds and a pass interference. Both of these penalties were on cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who is a physical player. As a result of those penalties, the Rams ended both drives with points.
Although the Bears won this game, continuing to play undisciplined will lead to losses. Head coach Matt Ebrrflus and the rest of the coaches need to fix these penalty issues going forward.