:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52775879/usa_today_8932016.0.jpg)
The 2016 Chicago Bears struggled on offense, and while penalties didn’t help, they were not as bad as in some prior years. The Bears were charged with 1.31 false start penalties per game, which was the ninth-highest rate in the NFL this season. They had more such penalties at home than away, but so did 15 other teams in the NFL. The Bears basically had three more false starts on the year than an average NFL team. This was slightly worse than last year, but nothing like the 2014 season, when they were the second-leading team in false start penalties per game.
Meanwhile, with more than 3 offensive holding penalties every two games, they were eighth-worst in the NFL at drawing the flag there, too. With 3 OPIs, they were more or less on-par with the league average of 2.88 offensive pass interference penalties.
The most-penalized offensive lineman on the Bears was Ted Larsen, who drew 7 flags (half as many as the league leader, Donovan Smith).
Overall, the Bears had only 23 pre-snap penalties on offense—their best showing in that regard since 2013.
What are your thoughts on Bear penalties this year?