Chiefs vs. Bears game preview: Six storylines to follow

The Chiefs have dominated series in the scoring column but not the win column

The Chiefs have played a schedule full of rivals, official and unofficial, this season. There are the obvious ones like the Raiders, Broncos and the Chargers. Then there’s the less obvious, unofficial rivalries against the Colts and the Patriots. It’s been an interesting year both in and out of the division.

One thing you won’t say about the Chiefs and Bears is that there’s any kind of rivalry brewing. The simple fact is the Chiefs and Bears just don’t play each other very often. In order to have a rivalry, official or unofficial, there has to be a long or at least recent track record of great games.

There is none of that. In the last 20 seasons, the Chiefs have played the Bears five times and have won two out of five contests. Looking even further back, the Chiefs first game against the bears was in 1973. Since then, these two teams have played 12 games. While the Chiefs have not dominated the win-loss column, going 5-7 in those games, they have absolutely dominated the scoring column with a margin of 224 to 185.

According to Las Vegas, the Chiefs are currently 5-point favorites on the road against the Bears. Ironically, when the season began this was one of only two games on the schedule in which the Chiefs were not favored. With the Chiefs rolling, I’d expect they draw closer in the series in the win column and widen their advantage in the scoring column.

My Prediction – Chiefs 31, Bears 16

This contest is really the story of two franchises heading in different directions. In the Chiefs, you have an ascending franchise that will be vying for the top seed in the playoffs and Super Bowls for years to come. Their coaches, quarterback, and most of their players are all very consistent and that tends to play out in their record each season.

Then you have the Bears. After such a promising 2018 season, and the high expectations that accompanied that success especially in a large market, they have taken a significant step back in 2019. There was talk of whether or not Matt Nagy was the right coach to lead the franchise going forward, though those sentiments seem to have quieted. There is still ongoing talk as to whether Trubisky, one of the highest draft picks in team history, will be the Bears quarterback in 2020.

The Chiefs are going to the playoffs, with a chance at the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage until the AFC Championship game. The Bears will be watching the playoffs from their living rooms, wondering what might have been.

Motivation is a powerful thing, and while the Chiefs have all the motivation in the world to win on Sunday, I’m not sure the Bears do. Winning their final two games can only serve to worsen their draft pick.

I’d expect the Bears will hang with the Chiefs for a quarter or two, but the Chiefs will win the game running away. While the Bears defense is good, they’ll be unable to contend with the  bevy of talent at the Chiefs’ skill positions. While the Bears offense has been better, the Chiefs defense is thriving and just added a nasty pass rusher in Terrell Suggs. At the end of the day, the Chiefs are the better team and will make that obvious on Sunday.