Sunday afternoon, as the Chicago Bears were able to come away with what felt like a narrow victory over the Atlanta Falcons, there were a few reasons for fans to be less than thrilled.
Aside from the fact that this game became way too close in the fourth quarter, there was one of a few underlying reasons why the Bears didn't, in fact, run away with this one as it looked like they were going to do.
The Bears ended the game with an abysmal 133 penalty yards on 12 penalties enforced. The self-inflicted errors were an issue in the first half, but even after Ben Johnson harped on the topic at halftime, they only continued.
Digging into the penalties, though, is a specific number that should matter the most to Johnson and the offense: 66 yards.
The Bears lost out on a total of 66 yards on four particular plays -- plays that would have otherwise ended with a first down.
But, that's not all. These four plays all came on drives that ended without points; three drives, specifically.
The Bears' Week 6 win over the Falcons could have been a true blowout, and quite easily
In the second quarter, quarterback Caleb Williams hit Kalif Raymond for a nice 21-yard gain that resulted in a first down. The only problem was that Darnell Wright was called for a hold, and the play was negated.
Chicago was backed up five yards, knocked out of rhythm and, in the end, would end up having to settle for a field goal attempt.
Cairo Santos missed the field goal. It wasn't just 21 yards that were wiped out, it was the drive, altogether.
Later in the second quarter, it would get even worse. D'Andre Swift moved the chains with an 11-yard run, and the Bears' offense was rolling. Colston Loveland would be called for holding on that play, though, and it was negated.
Just a couple of plays later, Williams completed a beautiful pass to Rome Odunze that went for 24 yards, moving the chains again. It was Ozzy Trapilo who was called for the penalty this time.
The Bears were backed up, yet again, and that drive would end with a punt.
Finally, in the third quarter, Williams connected with Loveland for 10 yards on a fourth down. The Bears moved the chains, but they would once again come back after Loveland was called for pass interference.
The Bears would end up punting on this drive as well.
Count up all four of those plays, and you've got a grand total of 66 yards called back. But worse was the fact that Chicago didn't get any points out of those three drives.
These drives and penalties also came at a point where the Bears had this game firmly under control and looked like they were going to run away with it. This was well before the fourth quarter semi-meltdown we saw.
Had one or two of these penalties not happened, there is a good chance the Bears would have built an even bigger lead than the 31-7 difference we saw early on in the fourth quarter.
Now, there is an argument to be made that a couple of Bears penalties were soft calls by the officials, and I am fully on that side of the conversation. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that this game could have been much, much more out of hand for Atlanta in that fourth quarter.
We might remember this game becoming competitive late, but in reality, the Bears outright dominated the Falcons. Their self-inflicted wounds will be a pain point this week in the film room. You can bet on that.
Read more: Caleb Williams sent a message to critics in more ways than 1 in his Bears return
Fortunately, Chicago still came away with the dub. Now, it's all about reducing those moments as the Bears prepare for the New England Patriots, in prime time, on Thursday Night Football.
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