Kansas City Chiefs vs Chicago Bears: Game Notes

DEFENSIVE NOTES:

*The pass defense looked much better this week. Again, I know the Bears looked bad, but Jay Cutler is actually coming off a respectable season last year and has two very talented wideouts in Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White. Despite that, a Chiefs pass defense that had struggled last week against Case Keenum held Cutler to just 6 of 15 passing for 45 yards. In fact, the Chiefs first string defense completely shut down the entire Bears offense. At halftime the Chiefs lead the Bears in total yards by a staggering 239 to 20 mark.

*The one thing on this team that I’m still unsettled on is the cornerback depth chart. Marcus Peters is number one and then after that things get a little fuzzy. The Chiefs had been trumpeting Steven Nelson during training camp but I’ve been underwhelmed by how he has looked against first team wideouts. Phillip Gaines will be part of the solution now that he’s healthy again, but do the Chiefs want him playing outside or in the slot?

While rookie D.J. White was looked better than Nelson (in my opinion) do the Chiefs trust him starting outside? I think I’d prefer Gaines outside and White as the nickel/slot corner and Nelson providing depth. It will also be interesting to see how the newly acquired Kenneth Acker figures into the mix. Saturday’s game also appeared to indicate that rookie KeiVarae Russell doesn’t appear to be in line for meaningful minutes with the first string defense right now.

*If I’m an offensive coordinator watching tape of KC’s defense from this preseason my game plan would be to run the ball right at the Chiefs as opposed to trying to bounce the ball outside. The Chiefs young linebackers like Justin March and Dee Ford have great speed tracking down backs in the open field but both can get overpowered when matched up one on one with an offensive lineman.

There were many occasions this preseason (including Saturday) where running backs were able to pick up 7-10 yards if they got past the defensive linemen going up the middle. Yes, Derrick Johnson and Justin March are capable of making great plays, but the Chiefs defense works best when they don’t have a lot of “trash” to fight through and can roam to the ball. When the OL has been able to get to the ILBs at the second level it has lead to big gains on the ground.

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