Bears star complains about crucial penalty against 49ers that took away turnover

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Chicago Bears defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson complained about a penalty that was called on him in the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

The Bears and 49ers were in the midst of an intense matchup. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy took a snap from the Bears’ 7-yard line and threw the ball to Ricky Pearsall. Gardner-Johnson intercepted the pass in what would have been a crucial turnover.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson #35 of the Chicago Bears reacts after a play during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

However, Gardner-Johnson appeared to put his hands to Pearsall’s face at the snap. The penalty negated the turnover and Purdy would score on a 3-yard run two plays later. The 49ers took a 28-21 lead into halftime. San Francisco went on to win the game, 42-38.

"BS call smh," he wrote on X.

Gardner-Johnson finished with five tackles and a pass breakup in the loss.

The Purdy rushing touchdown was one of his five on the night. He had three passing touchdowns and two rushing scores.

49ERS HOLD OFF BEARS TO KEEP NO. 1 SEED HOPES ALIVE AS BROCK PURDY TOTALS 5 TOUCHDOWNS IN WIN

Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) is congratulated by teammates after returning an interception for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

The Bears became the second team in the Super Bowl era to lose a game in the regular season when they scored at least 25 points, got a defensive touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over.

"When you go against a dynamic offense like that, you talk about the possibilities as an offense of going tit-for-tat with them, and at times we may answer that call," Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. "They just ended up making more plays than us."

Purdy threw a pick six to T.J. Edwards on the first drive of the game.

Luckily, Chicago wrapped up an NFC North title on Saturday thanks to the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the first time the Bears captured a division title since 2018. Chicago will be making its first playoff appearance since 2020 when they went 8-8.

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The Bears haven’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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