Chiefs vs. Bears preview: Critical stats, key info, and more

The Kansas City Chiefs will play host to the Chicago Bears this weekend, who are currently going through an organizational crisis. Their defensive coordinator resigned amidst several different rumors and Justin Fields credited the coaching staff for him thinking too much out on the field and not playing freely enough. This is supposed to be one of the easier games the Chiefs will see on their schedule this season, as you will see in the betting lines here. Let’s dig into how these two teams stack up. 

Date: Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 3:25 CDT. 

Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Comparing overall records for Bears-Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs: 1-1 (Tied for 1st in AFC West)

Chicago Bears: 0-2 (Tied for 3rd in the NFC North)

Last Week's Results

The Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-9  in week two in a game where the defense did not allow a touchdown to the Jaguars’ high-powered offense. 

The Bears traveled down to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers as 2.5-point underdogs. Chicago’s defense allowed Baker Mayfield to go off for 317 yards as the Bucs buried the Bears 27-17. 

Critical Stats to Know for Bears-Chiefs

Chiefs Offense

• Points per Game: 18.5 (Tied for 22nd in the NFL)
• Passing Yards per Game: 262 (6th in the NFL)
• Rushing Yards per Game: 95.5 (Tied for 19th  in the NFL)
• Sacks Allowed: 1 (Tied for 2nd in the NFL)
• Turnover Giveaways: 4 (Tied for 28th in the NFL)
• Penalties: 15 (Tied for 23rd in the NFL)

Bears Offense

• Points per game: 18.5 (Tied for 22nd in the NFL)
• Passing yards per game: 179 (24th in the NFL)
• Rushing yards per game: 94.5 (21st in the NFL)
• Sacks Allowed: 10 (Tied for 30th in the NFL)
• Turnover Giveaways: 4 (Tied for 28th in the NFL)
• Penalties: 12 (Tied for 12th in the NFL)

Chiefs Defense

• Points allowed per game: 15 (4th in the NFL)
• Passing yards allowed per game: 223.5 (19th in the NFL)
• Rushing yards allowed per game: 96 (12th in the NFL)
• Sacks: 5 (Tied for 14th in the NFL)
• Turnovers: 2 (Tied for 16th in the NFL)
• Penalties: 6 (Tied for 2nd in the NFL)

Bears Defense

• Points allowed per game: 32.5 (31st in the NFL)
• Passing yards allowed per game: 277 (27th in the NFL)
• Rushing yards allowed per game: 106 (16th in the NFL)
• Sack: 1 (Tied for 31st in the NFL)
• Turnovers: 0 (Tied for 29th in the NFL)
• Penalties: 16 (Tied for 25th in the NFL)

Comparing the Quarterbacks

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes - 531 passing yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 62.5 CMP %, 83 PFF RTG

Bears: Justin Fields - 427 passing yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 60.6 CMP %, 56.3 PFF RTG

Key Injuries for Bears vs Chiefs

Chiefs: Linebacker Nick Bolton (Knee) and wide receiver Richie James (Knee) have been ruled out for this week. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Toe), linebacker Willie Gay (Quad) and running back Isiah Pacheco (Hamstring) have been limited all week. 

Bears: Starting left tackle Braxton Jones (Neck) went on IR, safety Eddie Jackson (Foot) has not practiced this week and wide receiver Darnell Mooney (Knee) has been limited. 

Key Connections between Bears and Chiefs

This will be the first time Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will face off against his former team. Bears general manager Ryan Poles also used to be an assistant under Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Bears kicker Cairo Santos is also a familiar face for Chiefs Kingdom as the specialist before Harrison Butker was signed.

Betting odds for Bears vs Chiefs

Spread: Chiefs -12.5

Over/Under: 48

Head-to-Head History for Bears and Chiefs

Last meeting: The Chiefs won 26-3 in their last meeting on December 22nd, 2019 en route to their Super Bowl 54 victory. It was the game Patrick Mahomes counted to 10 if you remember. 

All-time series: The Bears lead the series 7-6. Their first time facing off was November 11th, 1973. 

Weather Forecast for Bears vs. Chiefs

Expected weather conditions: According to The Weather Channel, partly cloudy skies are expected in the afternoon, with a stray of shower or thunderstorms as a possibility. The high will be around 80 degrees. 

Prediction for Bears-Chiefs

This could quite possibly be the most favorable matchup the Chiefs have all year. The Bears are in the midst of major adversity and the quarterback does not seem to like how he's being used thus far. 

I would expect Fields to play more freely this week, utilizing his legs, but luckily it feels like the Chiefs have the linebacking core to be up to the task this year. The Chiefs will be without Nick Bolton, which is always a big loss when you lose your green dot. With that being said, Willie Gay, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal all have good speed and should have big games. 

The Bears have already allowed 10 sacks this season and are prone to turning the ball over. That bodes well for a defense that tallied four sacks last week and has only allowed two touchdowns in eight quarters of football so far this season. 

As for the Kansas City offense, I think this will be a get-right game. As mentioned before Toney has been limited and James has not practiced this week. James’ injury is feared to be long-term term so there may be more opportunities for guys like Rashee Rice or possibly even Justyn Ross. 

Looking at the stats from above, the Bears could allow a good amount of yards against in the passing game, so this may be a good week to get guys like Skyy Moore established more in the offense. Travis Kelce said on the Pat McAfee Show that his knee is good to go, which will open up the offense for him and everybody else. I have the Chiefs winning, 30-17.