Bears are sixth-most penalized team in the NFL
[jwplayer FFBv0Hfo-ThvAeFxT]
As the Chicago Bears head into a much-needed bye week, there are several concerns facing the Bears as they sit at 3-2 after five weeks.
While the offensive line -- and the offense, in general -- rank at the top, another area of concern for the Bears are penalties.
The Bears are the sixth-most penalized team in the NFL after five weeks with 43 penalties. Their 360 penalty yards isn't much better at seventh in the league. For comparison sake, last year, the Bears had the fifth-fewest penalties and yards with 100 for 848 yards.
Look no further than Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, where the Bears were flagged 10 times for 75 yards.
“We get the ball and we’re getting first downs and then, boom, a penalty,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said, via the Sun-Times. “And then, boom, another penalty. And now, all of a sudden, it’s third-and-20. That’s hard.
“It’s about a start. How do you start? When you’re third-and-20 on your first drive, you’re in trouble.”
Penalties can be a killer -- especially for an offense that's trying to establish a rhythm. It seemed like every time the offense seemed to generate something, there was a flag that backed them up, as Nagy said, to third-and-20. It's impossible to get your offense going when you keep shooting yourselves in the foot.
Charles Leno Jr. is the most-penalized player in the NFL with eight penalties, including two false starts and four holding calls. Three of those penalties came Sunday against the Raiders, including two costly holds and a false start.
“We’ve just gotta do our job better,” Leno said, via the Sun-Times. “I don’t even want to keep on saying it, but it’s gotta start with me. I’m gonna go to this bye week and do some real deep searching and see how I can get better.
“All I want to do is help the team win, and if I’m not doing my job, well…a la holding calls — some [expletive], in my opinion. But at the end of the day, if I’m not doing my job, I’m hurting the offense and we can’t get going.”
Related
OL Alex Bars turned down Patriots to remain on Bears' practice squad
Bears offense still in search of answers for struggling run game