Bears’ Khalil Mack calls out Eagles center Jason Kelce for ‘bull----’ tactics to draw penalties

PHILADELPHIA — The Bears contributed to their downfall in a 22-14 loss to the Eagles on Sunday with five pre-snap penalties by halftime.

Four of those were on defense, and the team alleged that Eagles center Jason Kelce baited them by illegally turning the ball before the snap. Coach Matt Nagy hinted there was a problem, though he declined to specify, but Khalil Mack didn’t hold back.

“You see the [b.s.] Kelce was kinda doing with the ball, just moving it a little bit,” Mack said. “But even then, you can’t really make no excuses. That’s not the type of group we have. We’ve still gotta get there, regardless of what it is and what that was. All those offside penalties, it hurt us.”

If the center is determined to have moved the ball before the snap, the correct call is a false start. Mack said the Bears mentioned it to officials on the field, but that didn’t accomplish anything.

“Yeah, you point it out, but who cares?” Mack said. “Who cares, man? You’ve gotta make plays and win ballgames. That’s what it’s all about.”

None of those plays gave the Eagles a first down, but two of them gave them short yardage to go on third downs.

Nagy did not seem angry with his penalized players — Mack, Eddie Goldman and Aaron Lynch twice — and hinted at foul play. However, coaches who criticize the officiating are subject to fines.

“I know what it was,” Nagy said. “There was some stuff to that. I’m not gonna get into that.”

The Bears certainly had other defensive issues in the first half, when they allowed 202 yards of total offense and got knocked around on three consecutive scoring drives to open the game. They went into halftime down 12-0.

With the Eagles up 6-0 and moving into scoring range midway through the second quarter, Lynch jumped into the neutral zone on third-and-five. The officials spotted it as a four-yard penalty for some reason, and the Bears stopped the Eagles twice with inches to go.

However, on the fourth-down stop, defensive tackle Nick Williams hit Carson Wentz late and drew a 15-yard penalty. Wentz threw a touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz three plays later.

Mack didn’t like the call on Williams, but it didn’t excuse what happened afterward.

“You can’t put the game in the refs’ hands, man,” Mack said. “We understand that. Looking forward to the next one. Use that and get ready for the next one.”

Injury concerns

The Bears were mostly healthy, but safety Deon Bush was a late scratch because of illness, and Goldman exited with a thigh injury.

Backup linebacker Isaiah Irving didn’t make the trip because of a quad injury.