Bears vs. Chiefs prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 3

It’s no longer Mitch Trubisky at quarterback for the Chicago Bears, but they’re still being haunted by passing on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft. That reality will be inescapable this week as the 1-1 Kansas City Chiefs host the 0-2 Bears and a struggling Justin Fields.

The Chiefs relied on their defense to hang on for a win against Jacksonville in Week 2 and now they’re big favorites at home, but still looking to get their offense on track. BetSided's NFL betting expert Iain MacMillan picks every game in his “Road to 272” so you can check out his pick for this one there. Here is a full betting preview for Chicago and Kansas City in Week 3.

Before we get into it, be sure to take advantage of this promo from the FanDuel Sportsbook. Just click the link below to sign up, deposit $5, then place a bet on this matchup and receive $200 in bonus bets, win or lose. 

Bears vs. Chiefs odds, spread and total

Chiefs vs. Bears betting trends

• The Chiefs are 1-1 ATS
• The UNDER is 2-0 in Chiefs games
• The Bears are 0-2 ATS
• The OVER is 2-0 in Bears games

Bears vs. Chiefs injury reports

Bears injury report

• Josh Blackwell - DB - day-to-day (hamstring)
• Nate Davis - OL - day-to-day (personal)
• Darnell Mooney - WR - day-to-day (knee)
• Eddie Jackson - DB - day-to-day (foot)
• Kyler Gordon - DB - Out indefinitely (hand)

Chiefs injury report

• BJ Thompson - DE - day-to-day (hamstring)
• Nic Jones - CB - day-to-day (hand)
• Jody Fortson - TE - I-R (shoulder)

Bears vs. Chiefs how to watch

• Date: Sunday, September 24
• Time: 4:25 PM EST
• Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Bears Record: 0-2
• Chiefs Record: 1-1

Bears vs. Chiefs key players to watch

Bears

Justin Fields, QB: Last year, Fields was so electric running the football, but it appears that aspect of his game is gone this season. He has only run it 13 times for 62 yards across two games after running for 1,143 yards last season. Fields has thrown three interceptions to just two touchdowns. 

Chiefs

Skyy Moore, WR: Somebody needs to emerge as the No. 1 wide receiver on this team. Obviously, Travis Kelce is the No. 1 target, but this team doesn’t have a top receiver. Last week, Skyy Moore stepped up after struggling in Week 1. Moore led the team with 70 receiving yards on three catches and he also had a touchdown. 

Bears vs. Chiefs prediction and pick

The Chiefs offense is not the same unit from last year that won the Super Bowl in a shootout. Without a reliable receiver, they haven’t been able to score many points. However, their defense might be one of the best units in the NFL. Chris Jones coming back was a huge help last week, but even without him they held Detroit’s offense to just 14 points. Last week, Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence only finished with nine points and Lawrence didn’t complete a single pass in the red zone. 

The Chiefs are only allowing 5.0 yards per play which is 10th in the league. Opponents have attempted the seventh most passes against them but are completing only 58.4% of those passes for 5.8 yards per attempt. This defense has talent at all three levels and will be able to stop the Bears who lack an offensive identity. 

Last season, Justin Fields finished the year averaging 7.1 yards per rush and 7.1 yards per pass attempt. This season he is down to 4.8 yards per rush and 6.5 yards per pass attempt. DJ Moore has not helped things for this offense despite catching eight of his nine targets through two weeks for 129 yards. If the Bears are going to force Fields into being a pocket-passer then their offense will struggle and they’ll be looking for a new quarterback with their two first-round picks next year. 

Chicago had a functional and borderline dynamic offense when Fields was running the ball a lot in 2022, I’m not sure why they’ve gone away from that, but it’s clear that they have and they’re worse off for it. I’ll take the Chiefs to win big and finally get their offense on track. 

The Bears defensively aren’t great either. Their genius team building strategy was to trade away Roquan Smith because off-ball linebackers aren’t valuable, and then pay two off-ball linebackers premium contracts in free agency. That has led to them allowing 383.0 yards per game and 6.0 yards per play through two weeks. That ranks them 29th and 31st. The Bears are 1-9 against the spread in their last 10 games. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change