"They need to check the refs they hire" - Bears' Robert Quinn had every reason to be upset with officiating

Chicago Bears defensive end Robert Quinn was not happy with the officiating in last night's 17-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Several questionable calls were made and the Bears were often on the wrong side of them.

In total, the Bears had nine penalties totalling 91 yards while the Vikings had seven penalties for just 54 yards. While some will say that the penalties were there and deserved, others will say the opposite.

But for Quinn, he was left in no doubt about the level of officiating he saw last night and made a point to address the unsportsmanlike penalty on his head coach Matt Nagy.

"I think they need to go check the refs they're hiring, not our coach," Quinn said via NBCChicago.

Quinn not happy with officiating crew against the Vikings

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His comments were rather pointed but Quinn did not stop there. He believes that all the penalty calls are getting a little bit over the top and that referees are having a bigger impact on games when they don't need to.

“Honestly, some of these calls are starting to get a little crazy,” Quinn said post-game. “These refs seem like they're controlling the game a little too much. If a play is clean and they're throwing a flag over something that they thought they can change the game just by one flag, I mean, let guys play ball.”

Quinn further went on to say that the refereeing standards have changed, as recently as a "couple of years ago".

“If this was a couple years ago, half this stuff wouldn't even be called, but now they've got some of these stupid rules and in the refs' hands it can change at any given moment.”

Despite all the questionable calls from the officials, the Bears were still in a position to win the game but it was their ineffiency that cost them dearly. The Bears were 2/12 on third down and were 2/5 on fourth down.

Several times they got into or near the red zone, yet came up empty the majority of the time. Add to that three fumbles lost and suddenly the Bears are just as much to blame if not more.

The Bears' defense, led by Quinn, kept Cousins to just 87 passing yards and restricted the offense to 5/17 on third downs. Justin Jefferson was Cousins' best target, catching four passes for just 47 yards and a touchdown. The Bears had every chance to win the game, but their offense couldn't.

The loss leaves the Bears with a 4-10 record and searching for answers. Justin Fields and Co. face the Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants and ultimately the Vikings again to end their horror 2021 season.

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