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Chicago Bears 2026 Penalties: Discipline & Hidden Edges
Jun 30, 2026Joe GibbsSharp Football Analysis
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Caleb Williams
QB · CHI · #general
...in 2025, which represented a major decline from the 62% on the offense in Caleb Williams’ rookie season. The Bears generated an above-average 56% of oppon...
Ben Johnson
TE · #general
...Odds-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Ben Johnson" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" /> The foll...
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The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview . In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview . Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle. Let's look at how the Chicago Bears performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026. Chicago Bears 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges The Good Chicago’s offense accounted for 52.5% of the team’s penalties in 2025, which represented a major decline from the 62% on the offense in Caleb Williams’ rookie season. The Bears generated an above-average 56% of opponent penalties in the second half of contests, ranking them third overall in this category. The Bad The Bears ranked as a top-five penalized team for pre-snap infractions. However, that represented a big decline from their 2024 per-game average in this category. Heading into this season, Chicago needs Williams’ mastery of the offense to continue to improve. A byproduct of that will be a further decline in pre-snap infractions. Tied into the above point, the offense ranked as the third-most penalized unit in 2024. Chicago improved in 2025, but it still ranked in the top 10 by the end of the season. The offense ranked last in generating beneficial defensive pass interference penalties, with just two calls in the category the entire 2025 season. Based on Ben Johnson’s history, don’t expect much to change in 2026. Johnson’s Lions offenses were not prolific generators of beneficial penalties via passing plays either, and that trend has continued in Chicago. The defense ranked as the No. 1 penalized unit for roughing the passer. Grade: B The success in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach is generating optimism around the Chicago Bears that is off the charts, with expectations officially shifting from rebuilding to contenders. The Bears were the NFL’s version of Houdini in 2025, pulling off seemingly impossible escapes on multiple occasions to secure victory from the jaws of defeat. The law of averages suggests their miracle escape act won't succeed at such a high rate this season. Chicago is banking on Caleb Williams taking his game to the next level in 2026, and the team's ceiling increasing as a result of more overall polished quarterback play. Perhaps the most important thing is that for the first time in a long time, Chicago appears to have both the coach and quarterback figured out simultaneously, creating legitimate buzz and Super Bowl aspirations. This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview Order Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview to Get Penalty Analysis for All 32 NFL Teams Warren Sharp’s 600+ page full-color PDF, the 2026 Football Preview , is unlike anything you have read. Stunning visualizations, including new heat maps and stat pages, are built with the reader in mind. Innovative, next-level thought processes abound in every team chapter and article. Get Warren's Book Order Book Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2026 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct…