Give the Chicago Bears their flowers. They earned every bit of praise coming their way after Monday night's 34-17 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
The offense was cooking. Caleb Williams looked comfortable, D'Andre Swift found the end zone three times and Ben Johnson had Seattle's defense scrambling for answers. On the other side, Chicago was downright dominant, holding the Seahawks to 252 total yards and just one third-down conversion in 11 attempts.
It was the kind of performance Bears fans have waited years to see.
But buried underneath all those impressive numbers was something Johnson should be absolutely furious about.
Ten penalties for 85 yards.
That's not championship football, regardless of what the scoreboard says.
Chicago committed twice as many penalties as Seattle, which finished with five for 43 yards. Even worse, the Bears handed the Seahawks six first downs through penalties.
Think about that for a second.
Seattle finished with 18 first downs. One-third of them came courtesy of Chicago's mistakes.
The Bears' defense spent much of Monday night making Sam Darnold miserable, only to occasionally bail him out with penalties that had nothing to do with Seattle making a good play.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montez Sweat appeared to sack Darnold for a nine-yard loss on third down. Instead, a defensive holding penalty against Tyrique Stevenson wiped out the sack and extended the possession.
Chicago eventually intercepted Darnold, so the mistake didn't hurt on the scoreboard.
Great. What happens when the next quarterback doesn't return the favor?
Jaylon Johnson was also flagged for pass interference on Seattle's touchdown drive before halftime, giving the Seahawks 16 free yards.
Those are the kinds of mistakes that can undo an otherwise outstanding defensive performance.
The offensive penalties weren't much prettier.
Chicago dealt with false starts and delay of game penalties, including one inside Seattle's five-yard line during the fourth quarter.
There's no denying how difficult it is to operate in Seattle. That stadium can make communication miserable, particularly for an offensive line trying to hear its quarterback.
But the Bears aren't some inexperienced team just learning how to play football in hostile environments.
They're 6-2. They're beating quality opponents. Their quarterback is playing some of the best football of his young career, and their defense looks capable of making life miserable for anybody.
So why are they still handing out free yards?
Williams finished with 247 passing yards , no interceptions and just one sack. Chicago held the football for more than 35 minutes and converted seven of its 15 third-down opportunities.
The Bears were good enough to overcome their mistakes against Seattle. That's impressive.
It's also a dangerous habit to develop.
Johnson deserves enormous credit for what he's building in Chicago. The Bears look organized offensively, they're playing with confidence and they just walked into the home of the defending champions and won by 17 points.
Nobody should minimize that accomplishment.
But Johnson also knows the difference between beating a team and giving that team opportunities it never earned.
Chicago essentially spotted Seattle six first downs and still won comfortably. Against a more efficient offense, those extra possessions and extended drives could become touchdowns.
And in January, when playoff games are often decided by one possession, giving away 85 yards might be the difference between advancing and going home.
The Bears have shown they can beat good teams. Monday night provided more evidence of that.
Now Johnson needs to make sure they stop helping those teams stay competitive.
Because there's nothing more frustrating than watching a talented football team lose a game it should have won simply because it couldn't get out of its own way.
Chicago avoided that outcome Monday.
It won't always be so fortunate.
This article was originally published on www.dawindycity.com as Ben Johnson should be furious about what the Bears got away with in Seattle .
