Sunday | 1:00 ET
This week’s game is the last thing that comes to mind when thinking of the Chicago Bears these days. Between the media blowing Justin Fields and DJ Moore soundbites out of proportion, DC Alan Williams oddly resigning two weeks into the season, and $100,000 worth of equipment being stolen from Soldier Field, Sunday’s trip to Arrowhead has become an afterthought. For the Bears, Sunday is either going to go to really well or really badly.
As for Kansas City, they are certainly viewing the matchup as a get-right opportunity. After losing at home to the Lions in Week 1, TE Travis Kelce and DT Chris Jones returned in Week 2 for the team’s win in Jacksonville. The defense has looked great, giving up only 30 points through two weeks (against two above average offenses). The offense, on the other hand, is still finding its footing. There is no better time to get it back on track than this Sunday in a matchup against a defensive-coordinator-less team at home.
Chicago’s offense is the story of the game, possibly the story of the week in the NFL. QB Justin Fields decided to speak nothing but the truth in his most recent press conference. He described how he felt “robotic” on the field against the Buccaneers, and stated that his goal against the Chiefs is to play more freely and get back to what he does best. Through the first two weeks, it has been obvious that OC Luke Getsy is trying to make Fields into something he’s not: a stationary pocket passer. To compound this, Justin obviously wants to evolve as a quarterback and achieve this goal. However, you could practically see him overthinking in the pocket in Week 2. He was so obsessed with making the right decision that he ended up making no decision at all on several occasions. I cannot wait to see what kind of plays the Bears run on Sunday. I expect them to revert back to a play-style more similar to what they did at the end of 2022 (you know, when they were actually efficient on offense) and allow Justin Fields to run and take deep shots.
Kansas City runs a lot of quarters, so it will be tough hit on long passes. However, this coverage opens up the run game. The reason that the Chiefs play so much Cover 4 is because they are usually winning, meaning that the opposing team doesn’t have the option to consistently run the ball. This will probably be the case on Sunday. But, Fields gets most of his rushing yards from scrambles, opposed to designed QB runs. If he follows through on what he said in his press conference, I could see Fields breaking off some big scrambles while the Chiefs are sitting back.
On the other side of the ball, Patrick Mahomes will get to pick apart an already-hobbled defense that just lost their defensive coordinator for unknown reasons. CB Kyler Gordon and S Eddie Jackson are both out. Considering the way that Baker Mayfield was able to exploit rookie CB Tyrique Stevenson, Mahomes could probably throw for 450 yards if he really wanted to. Chicago has the 2nd lowest PFF pass rush grade this season, so he’ll have all the time he needs, and more. They don’t excel at stopping the run either. Unless all of the turmoil in Chicago lights a fire under the team (which it could), the Chiefs will probably be able to score in any fashion Andy Reid so chooses.
Oddly enough, the recent controversy surrounding the Bears has made me gain confidence in them. I never would have guessed I’d have the Bears covering in the given scenario, but the offense was humming last season when Fields was used correctly! Still, I see no way that the Chiefs lose this game.