There's a lot the Chicago Bears have to prepare for as they are set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in what is now seen as the most crucial game of the season for them.
Without a win against a team with a winning record, the Bears are looking to prove that they can compete with the best teams in the NFL. Despite what will be a busy week of preparation, they got one piece of positive news before the game that will help big time.
The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs shared that referee John Hussey and his crew will officiate the Bears-Steelers game. Why is that good news? Hussey's crew has called 12.4 penalties per game, ranking 11th among the 17 officials in the NFL.
Referee John Hussey and his crew will work the #Bears #Steelers game on Sunday at Soldier Field. Hussey's crew averages 12.4 penalties per game - 11th most among the NFL's 17 crews.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) November 19, 2025
Bears won't have to worry about as many penalties hitting them hard
One of the biggest complaints about this Bears team this season is the large number of penalties they get in games. Most of those issues have occurred pre-snap on offense, with false starts or a lot of holding calls being called on the offensive line.
This season, the Bears have the fourth-most penalties in the NFL, with 80. They have also accumulated the sixth most penalty yards in the league with 641.
The good news is that the penalties have seemed to decrease over the last three games for the Bears. They had 43 penalty yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, 25 yards against the New York Giants in Week 10, and 40 yards in their 19-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.
Read more: Addition of defender from Ben Johnson's past sounds loud alarms to Bears fans
While the issue isn't thoroughly cleaned up for the Bears, having an officiating crew that won't be calling as many penalties on the field will be a major advantage for Chicago. They will take anything that will help them win this all-important showdown in Week 12.