Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is aware of a recent promising development for his team in the 25-24 win over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. 

The game had its fair share of heroics from kicker Jake Moody, who was called up from the practice squad with Cairo Santos out with a right thigh injury. Moody hit the 38-yard game winner and ended the night going 4-of-5 on field goals. 

Something else that happened during the Commanders was a first for the season. The Bears didn't commit a false start penalty for the first time in 2025. Johnson was asked about it at a recent press conference, and joked the reporter jinxed the team but noted that the Bears are mindful of how important it is to not beat yourselves. 

"You would just have to jinx us like that, wouldn't you?" Johnson joked. "No, I think, man, we're mindful of it, you know? We've been beating it like a drum, and so hopefully this trend continues for us, but we're certainly conscious of it. It's step number one. If we don't beat ourselves on offense, I think we can do some pretty good things, but too often here early in the season, drives have stalled because we've beaten ourselves, and we've come from behind the sticks. So, the guys know that." 

Chicago hasn't been perfect in terms of penalties this season, with the Bears ranked 11th in the NFL, with 43 so far. The Bears are also ninth in penalty yards in 2025, with 362. 

The Saints have the same number of penalty yards as the Bears but commit more of them than Chicago. New Orleans is currently third in the league in penalties this season, with 50 heading into Week 7. 

The importance of staying ahead of the sticks in the NFL couldn't be stressed enough and is typically a good recipe for success in this league. 

You definitely don't want to give a struggling team like the Saints any more ground than they need to in a game like this. New Orleans is 1-5 and could take advantage of some miscues from the Bears on Sunday. 

Johnson will battle fellow first-year head coach Kellen Moore, who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, on Sunday. 

Chicago returns home after a two-game road stretch to Soldier Field on Sunday at noon CT on Fox.