Bears set franchise record for most penalty yards in a game

Following the first game of the season, the general consensus around the 2015 Chicago Bears was that they were noticeably smarter and more disciplined than last year’s team.

That all went out the window Sunday.

Against the Cardinals, the Bears set a franchise rec0rd for the amount of penalty yards they accrued through the game. Early in the fourth quarter the Bears already tied the record at 165 penalty yards.

The sloppy performance helped the Bears on their way to an ugly game against the Cardinals. For most of the game, the Bears had more penalty yards than the total passing yards for Carson Palmer.

Statistically, the Bears were almost perfectly even in every statistical category with Arizona, other than penalties. Even after Jay Cutler left with an injury, the offense was able to move, only to be killed by penalties.

The Bears finished with a total of 14 penalties for 170 yards. They lost 48-23 and fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2003.