Zavion Thomas nearly flipped the game with one kickoff return Sunday night, racing 91 yards from the Chicago 8 to the Tampa Bay 1. Instead, a holding penalty wiped out the play and left the Bears starting at their own 20, just 12 yards beyond where Thomas had caught the ball.

Chicago still escaped with a 27–24 win, but the nullified return remained a sore point for Bears fans.

Bears Fans Rip Holding Call on Zavion Thomas’ Kickoff Return

Tampa Bay had just cut Chicago’s lead to 17–13 on Bucky Irving’s 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Thomas took the ensuing kickoff at his own 8 and made it all the way to the Tampa Bay 1, where the NFL gamebook says he was pushed out of bounds.

Officials flagged Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson for offensive holding and enforced the 10-yard penalty from the Chicago 30.

“That’s really bad,”one fan wrote, reacting to the video of the play.

David Bousquet took aim at the league’s officiating more broadly. “Zero accountability, zero repercussions, same [expletive] every week,”Bousquet wrote, tagging NFL Officiating and the commissioner.

“Horrible call,”a fan wrote in response to the same post.

“The NFL is a penalty every other play,” was the gist ofanother fan’s complaint. “Not worth watching.”

The teams combined for 17 accepted penalties, with nine against Chicago. Jackson’s flag alone shifted the Bears’ starting position by 79 yards.

Another fan wanted the NFL to give coaches a way to challenge flags like Jackson’s. “There needs to be a challenge to these [expletive] calls,”the fan wrote.

One fan said, “It was a horrible call, and they can literally call it on every single play. Crazy.”

Another added, “Refs were absolutely abysmal tonight. One of the worst games I’ve seen.”

Replay can correct penalty administration, including the yardage or spot of a foul, but the judgment of whether holding occurred is not reviewable.

So the Bears went from the doorstep of the end zone to needing 80 yards. They got seven on three plays and punted. Tampa Bay had just put together its first touchdown drive of the night, and the play that nearly answered it left the score right where it was.

Cairo Santos Delivers After Chicago’s Special Teams Setback

Thomas had already shown what a good return could do for Chicago. He took the opening kickoff 40 yards to the Bears’ 47, and Caleb Williams finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Rome Odunze. Thomas finished with 88 yards on three credited kickoff returns.

Chicago ranks 13th in thePFN Special Teams Impact Rankings through Week 9 with a grade of 78.4.

Chicago eventually got the kind of swing Thomas’ return had threatened to deliver. Jaylon Johnson picked off Baker Mayfield and went 67 yards for a touchdown to put the Bears up 24–13. The Buccaneers clawed back to tie it with 2:51 left, giving Williams one more possession after a night in which he’dthrown four interceptions.

Williams found Colston Loveland for 38 yards on that final drive. Cairo Santos hit from the same distance as time expired, sending Chicago into its bye at 7–2. The longest return of the night ended with a flag, but the last kick gave the Bears their fourth straight win.