The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview book. 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 2025 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 2024 and where they can improve in 2025.
How Did Penalties Impact the Chicago Bears?
The Good
- The Bears defense accounted for 24.5% of the team's penalties, significantly lower than the NFL average of 34.5%.
- In raw numbers, the Bears averaged the fewest defensive penalties per game in 2024.
- Chicago’s defense committed the fewest penalties in the all important combination of defensive holding and defensive pass interference.
- Piggybacking off the previous points, the defense ranked 32nd at surrendering automatic first downs via penalty, the best in the NFL last season.
The Bad
- The Bears offense accounted for 62% of the team's penalties. The NFL average is 51.7%.
- In raw numbers, the Bears ranked fourth overall in offensive penalties per game in 2024.
- The Bears ranked second in pre-snap penalties per game, with those infractions accounting for 54% of the team's penalties compared to the NFL average of 38.5%.
- Third down was an issue for the offense. In raw numbers, Chicago ranked as the third-highest penalized unit for offensive penalties per game on third down plays.
- The Bears were penalized at a far higher rate in their six divisional games, averaging 8.01 penalties per game compared to 5.6 per game in all other contests.
Grade: C
The cornerstone of the Lions' success in recent seasons was a dominant offensive line, and clearly Ben Johnson aims to replicate that in Chicago.
The Bears revamped the offensive line in the offseason, and those moves have the potential to pay big dividends in 2025.
The arrival of Johnson, combined with roster upgrades, places the pressure squarely on Caleb Williams.
Williams has a highly touted offensive mind in his corner now, and the previous Bears coaching staff can no longer be the default scapegoat for the team's problems if the offense fails to produce.
This Chicago Bears franchise looks and feels a lot different than it did last year, and on paper, they have a formidable roster.
However, the positive offseason vibes need to translate into on field improvement and winning football for the Bears in 2025.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
Order Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview to get penalty analysis for all 32 NFL teams.
Warren Sharp’s 550+ page full-color PDF, the 2025 Football Preview, is unlike anything you have previously read. Stunning visualizations, including new heat maps, are built with the reader in mind. Innovative, next-level thought process abounds in every team chapter and article.
Get Warren's Book for $34.99
Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2025 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct way possible for optimal reviewing and retention.
- Team Chapters previews are in-depth, data driven & full of actionable info
- Fantasy Football player profiles, predictions, and ranks
- Vegas Odds forecast team wins, division rankings, lines for all 2025 games
- Coaching strategic advice for teams, play calling analysis & team tendencies
- Front Office Analysis positional spending, roster construction & cap analysis
- Reasons to bet over/under win totals & analysis of futures betting market
- Rookie draft class deep dive into impact for every team
- Rankings for every positional unit on every team with analysis
