The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Chicago Bears from the very beginning in their latest primetime showing on Sunday night.
The Kansas City Chiefs have wanted to get to this point for some time. One year after a historic offense carried them deep into the postseason, the Chiefs now look like the balanced team they were hoping to become, with a well-rounded group of defenders who refuse to force the bulk of responsibility onto Patrick Mahomes‘ shoulders.
The balance was on display in Soldier Field on Sunday night in a primetime 26-3 win against the host Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for the Bears, both the offense and the defense of the Chiefs were ready to show the NFL what they are capable of doing.
The Chiefs took the lead and never looked back on Sunday after the Chiefs forced Mitchell Trubisky and company to punt on the first drive, one capped by an eight-yard sack of the Bears quarterback out of bounds. The Chiefs responded with an impressive 15-play drive for 82 yards that ended with Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown of the year. These trends would continue for the rest of the game.
The Bears were intent on not giving up the big play all night long defensively, but that meant playing safeties deep to keep Mahomes from challenging them over the top. Because of that, Mahomes kept taking whatever short and intermediate throws the Bears would give him, which led to a few long drives that consumed the clock and put up the requisite points. For example, the Chiefs second drive was a 95-yard effort that took nearly 7 minutes off the clock.
As for the defense, the Bears were held scoreless in the first half and finally scored their only points on the night on an Eddy Piniero field goal late to end the third quarter. The Bears punted on every single offensive possession in the first half and turned it over on downs twice in the second half.
The defense did an especially effective job halting any positive momentum Mitchell Trubisky enjoyed coming into the game. The Bears quarterback put up 916 passing yards and 7 touchdowns in the last three games, but Trubisky finished the night completing only 14 of 26 passes for 120 yards, 1 fumble and a 66.2 passer rating.
The win gives the Chiefs their fifth straight, and the balance shown on Sunday night has to give them plenty of confidence heading into the postseason, although they must face the L.A. Chargers first. As for the Bears, they finish the season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.