Baker Mayfield claims Bears got away with breaking rule

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Baker Mayfield claims Bears got away with breaking rule

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Nov 9, 2026 12:21 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield thinks his offensive line struggled on Sunday night in part because of some illegal gamesmanship on the part of the Chicago Bears.

Mayfield alleged that on at least one occasion, Bears players barked out the Buccaneers’ cadence during Chicago’s 27-24 win at Soldier Field on Sunday night. That would be a penalty if officials took notice of it, but that did not happen.

“I don’t know,” Mayfield said when asked why the Buccaneers were called for five false starts in the game. “The last one, I know they were barking out the cadence, which you can’t do that. It’s tough for the refs to call that because they’re not right there at the line of scrimmage. They called that on Tristan (Wirfs), but you can’t do that.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield says he doesn’t know what went into the O-line having five false starts Sunday night, though he says the last one came about because the Bears were “barking out the cadence,” which you can’t do. Acknowledges that it’s tough for the refs to call that one, though.
— PewterReport ‍☠️ (@PewterReport) November 9, 2026

Defenses mimicking the snap count is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when it gets caught. As Mayfield acknowledged, that does not always happen, as referees can have difficulty discerning it.

The false starts unquestionably had a negative impact on Tampa’s offensive output. However, Mayfield was also intercepted twice without finding the end zone in the team’s narrow defeat. Critics will suggest this is the quarterback once again making excuses for poor play, whether that’s fair or not.

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