Monday Night Football provided a less than ideal outcome for the Chicago Bears. The game started off perfect for the Bears, as the offense was in rhythm. The ending however was way to familiar for Bears fans.

Bears Wire noted that “Chicago committed 12 penalties for 127 yards, several of which came in pre-snap situations on offense. With first year head coach Ben Johnson making his debut, there are some expectations that it’ll take time to get acclimated with his new offense. But the amount of penalties in the first game was a pretty ugly showing. Speaking to the media after the loss, second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze spoke about the need for the team to cut down the penalties as quickly as possible. Putting the blame on the team as a whole, Odunze acknowledged that the team won’t be successful if they let penalties cost them in big ways as they did on Monday night.”

There is a lot to clean up for this team. Here are my five big takeaways from the Bears’ first game of the season:

The Bears still can’t run the football

A huge concern for this Bears team in the offseason was will they have a good rushing attack this season. The Bears did not lessen that concern versus Minnesota. Caleb Williams led the Bears in rushing yards; that is something you never want to happen. D’Andre Swift had 17 carries for 53 rushing yards. He found a rhythm in the second half on one drive, but 3.1 yards per carry simply will not cut it. Ben Johnson is a genius when it comes to cultivating a dominant rushing attack, so I will give him time. For now this is still an area I am really concerned about with this football team.

Is Drew Dalman really an upgrade at center?

The Bears, in Ryan Poles’ tenure as general manager, have had terrible play at center year after year. This year Poles heavily invested in the O-line and addressed the center need. Drew Dalman, after getting a huge payday, had a very disappointing debut. The Vikings’ interior defensive line took advantage of him multiple times. Javon Hargrave had two sacks in this game lined up in front of him. He is a veteran in this league at a pivotal position. Dalman needs to be better for this offense to be more productive.

The Bears need a new kicker

Cairo Santos has one of the weakest legs in the NFL. The more Poles overlooks this, the more it will cost Chicago in close games. Santos missed a pivotal field goal that ultimately shifted the momentum in the game. He followed that by not kicking the ball out of bounds or getting a touchback on the late kickoff to save the Bears 40 seconds. The Bears’ final drive was cut short due to Cairo Santos’ inadequacy. Ryan Poles needs to bring in kickers for tryouts immediately.

Ben Johnson’s scheme worked

Caleb started the game out 10/10 passing the ball. The Bears scored on the first drive, something they did not do last season at all. This was a hot start for the Bears. Caleb was still able to be himself within structure. The problem became Caleb wanted to get out of structure too much. Caleb and Ben Johnson need to iron things out and get on the same page. Big plays were there in this game for the Bears. Caleb’s playmakers were open multiple times in position to score, it is up to Caleb to be better.

The Bears still have to prove they can win close games

Time and time again the Bears will do what they always do in close game situations. The Bears can not close anybody out, no matter who is the coach. This team will only go as far as what it can do in clutch situations. If the Bears are a team that beats themselves with penalties, and can’t hit do the little things right, it will be a long season.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: 5 observations from Chicago Bears’ loss to NFC North rival