Chiefs Preseason Loss to the Bears: Two Takeaways

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears have met in the regular and postseason 13 times. Chicago has the upper hand with a 7-6 record against the Chiefs. Now that football season is back, the teams met in a preseason game on August 13, 2022. While not much is on the line for the teams themselves, the players are there to show why they belong on the roster at the start of Week 1. Despite the loss, the Chiefs still started the season strong and are looking good.

The core players for the Chiefs were, as always, top-notch. Fans shouldn’t be worried about them. However, as the game went on, it was clear there was a striking difference between the two halves. It was hard to see how good of a quarterback Dustin Crumb would be because he was constantly on the run from the Bears’ defense. Although not too concerning overall, the offense that surrounded Crumb does not give fans much confidence in the offensive depth of the Chiefs should catastrophe strike at some point during the season.

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No Issues at Quarterback

There is no question Patrick Mahomes was ready for some football. He finished with 60 passing yards and a touchdown, making six out of seven attempts. He looked good and utilized six different receivers, giving us a glimpse of what is to come in the regular season. Andy Reid did not give us much of Chad Henne, but we already know what he is capable of, so it was not a big deal.

The interesting part was watching the third-string quarterback Shane Buechele. Although he was playing against backups, he had flashes of potential, including a pass to Justin Watson for a touchdown. However, he is certainly not ready to be Mahomes’ backup anytime soon. So it will be a fight between Buechele and Crumb for the QB3 position. Luckily there are two more games to give them time to prove themselves.

Defense is Looking Good

A lot has been said about the need for the Chiefs’ defense to step up. In this game against the Bears, the starters were looking good. Defensive tackle Chris Jones got to Bears quarterback Justin Fields for a sack, which was nice. In a later drive, defensive end Frank Clark made a statement with a hit on the quarterback.

George Karlaftis was also looking good for a first-rounder and was able to get a sack in the second quarter. Safety Justin Reid had a solid game and possibly sealed the deal on being a backup kicker after his extra-point kick at the end of the half. As with the offense, in the second half, the defense of the Chiefs did not look all that promising. Although there were a few good moments of stopping the Bears, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the readiness of the defensive depth.

Two Preseason Games Left

With two games left, there is still time to evaluate who will be cut, make the practice squad, or make the 53-man roster. The Chiefs will need players like Derrick Gore, who struggled against the Bears, to step up and show they are meant to be on this team. Other players were up and down in the game, and they will need to be more consistent over the last two games before Week 1. Although everyone knows who the starters are, there is still time for rookies and other players to shine and show why they belong in the NFL.

Next week will be the home opener for the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium as they take on the Washington Commanders on Saturday, August 20 at 3:00 p.m. CT.


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