In Week 3 of the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs welcome the Chicago Bears to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and hope to extend their record to 2-1 with a good game against a Bears team that comes to Kansas City at 0-2 record.
First quarter
The Bears won the first coin toss of the game and elected to wait for the second half. This gave Kansas City access to the ball and took it after a touchback from the 25-yard line.
Most of the Chiefs’ passing attack started early: quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce to convert on the first third of the first drive. However, the second attempt to convert third down failed; A pass over the middle to rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice went too far and resulted in a punt.
The Kansas City defense took advantage of a great punt and kept Chicago from advancing beyond its own 25-yard line. The third down miss was a sack attributed to defensive end George Karlaftis and linebacker Drue Tranquill, but defensive lineman Mike Danna provided the initial pressure with a powerful bull rush.
The Chiefs’ passing offense appeared to improve on the second possession, with Mahomes hitting Kelce and wide receiver Skyy Moore on back-to-back plays for first-down completions. From the 14-yard line, Mahomes climbed to the five and set up the score. On second down, a flip pass to running back Jerick McKinnon broke open, giving Kansas City its first lead, 7-0.
Chicago quickly gained a short third down after a second-down pass attempt to wide receiver DJ Moore was covered by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. However, Chicago converted on the ground – and then pushed into Chiefs territory with a big challenge from quarterback Justin Fields.
Kansas City worked its way up to third again and this time finished. Star pass rusher Chris Jones beat a rookie right tackle for the second straight game, collected a sack and pushed Chicago out of field goal range.
The Chiefs worked the drive to a third down with two yards to convert, setting it up at the end of the first quarter.
Second quarter
To move the chains on third down, Mahomes found Kelce between the zone defenders for a first down in Chicago territory. That created a big lead by running Isiah Pacheco and following tight end Noah Gray into space for an 18-yard gain. On third down a few snaps later, Mahomes couldn’t find an open receiver – but the check to McKinnon still moved the chains.
From the 15-yard line, a quick pass over the middle to Rashee Rice brought the Chiefs to the one-yard line. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire closed things out from there by hitting a power run play to start the game. Kansas City had a 14-0 lead.
After a nice finish by Fields while rolling out, the Bears couldn’t find any more space. The Chiefs linebackers were successful on this drive, but Chris Jones ended it again. He drew a holding penalty while pressuring Fields and forced a punt.
Early in this possession, Mahomes found his favorite wide receiver target: Justin Watson. After climbing the pocket, a well-placed throw was made to the sideline for 37 yards. From there, Pacheco continued to pass the ball, getting the Chiefs into the red zone with three consecutive handoffs.
After an effective pass to Pacheco, McKinnon took care of the play from there. Mahomes quickly found him in the flat, giving the Chiefs a 21-0 lead just before halftime.
The rain didn’t stop in Chicago. At the start of the ensuing drive, running back Khalil Herbert was thrown off the field by cornerback Trent McDuffie; Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. jumped on the ball, giving the Chiefs possession at the Bears’ 30-yard line. That led to the two-minute warning.
The Chiefs offense failed to take advantage of the turnover and stalled with another alignment penalty on right tackle Jawaan Taylor. Kansas City settled for a field goal and took a 24-0 lead.
It was another quick drive for the Bears: After Fields’ attempt from deep was blocked, another was tipped up and intercepted by Chiefs safety Mike Edwards. Kansas City was founded near Chicago’s red zone.
The Chiefs got close to a score with two Rice completions and moved within inches of the goal line. They simply let the first score and goal go, handing it to Pacheco and increasing the score to 31-0 with less than a minute left in the first half.
The Chiefs’ defense continued to keep the Bears’ offense under control, forcing a quick punt with less than a minute left in the half. A deep pass breakup by cornerback Joshua Williams made the stop clear; Karlaftis also had a hit on Fields when he threw to help on an incompletion on third down.
The Chiefs regained possession with 35 seconds left and 65 yards from the end zone. Another illegal formation penalty was assessed against Jawaan Taylor, which took away a big touchdown from wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Kansas City eventually settled for a field goal and took a 34-0 lead into halftime. It was the largest lead Andy Reid has ever had in a game in his 25 seasons as coach.
Third quarter
The Bears started their first drive of the second half after a touchback at the 25-yard line. The second play was a sack by Mike Danna, but linebacker Willie Gay Jr. helped by blitzing hard off the edge. On third down, a checkdown by L’Jarius Sneed was immediately handled, resulting in a punt.
The Chiefs offense picked up right where it left off in the first half, gaining 37 yards on a third-down cross-pattern pass from Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Inside the red zone, Mahomes patiently stayed in the pocket and found Kelce in the back of the end zone. The catch gave the Chiefs a 41-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Trying to make something of a disastrous game, the Chicago offense got caught on third down. Two incompletions later, the Chiefs had the ball again and took over at the Bears’ 41-yard line.
Backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert came into the game on the following drive and took over for Mahomes. A few snaps into the possession, an attempt over the middle was intercepted by Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn.
The Bears worked their way into the red zone and eventually converted a short fourth down with a quarterback sneak. That took the game into the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
After failing to convert their trip into the red zone into a touchdown, the Bears inexplicably settled for a field goal, turning the score to 41-3.
Injuries
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was limping after a play late in the first half in which he twisted his right ankle. He stayed in the game.
In the third quarter, cornerback Joshua Williams stayed down after being hit as players attempted a pass downfield. He left the field under his own power.
Left tackle Donovan Smith remained on the field and lay on his back after one play in the third quarter.
Special teams
Punter Tommy Townsend threw a 55-yard punt after the first drive, landing it inside the five-yard line without any help from a shooter.
Wide receiver Montrell Washington was called up to the practice squad and made the first punt return he saw for a 23-yard gain. He returned another for three yards.
Kicker Harrison Butker converted all four of his point-after attempts in the first half, then another in the third quarter. He also scored a 41-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Butker hit a 38-yard field goal just before halftime.
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