Highlights:
- The Chicago Bears faced a humiliating 41-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, marking a low point in their season.
- This raised questions about their performance and the performance of Justin Fields, a highly acknowledged quarterback who had a tough day on the field.
- With only 99 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, Justin Field’s performance is adding to the concerns about his development in the NFL.
An arduous week of practice preceded the Chicago Bears’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
On Sunday, things significantly worsened.
The Bears lost to the Chiefs 41-10 after giving up 34 unanswered first-half scores. Only the Chiefs’ decision to withdraw Patrick Mahomes in the second half of their rout made the outcome, mercifully, that close.
The defeat comes after a week in which quarterback Justin Fields used the word “coaching” to characterise his bad performance over the previous two games, only to retract his remarks after they gained media attention. Then, under unexplained circumstances, defensive coordinator Alan Williams announced his resignation. Prior to starting on Sunday, ESPN reported that Williams’ departure was partially the result of an undefined “inappropriate activity.”
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Justin Fields had a horrible day once more.
The Super Bowl champs built a 7-0 lead at home in the first quarter against the Chiefs, so things got off to a respectable start. A 27-0 Kansas City blitz, though, in the second quarter effectively put the game out of reach before halftime.
Fields, who looked like he was going to have a big season in 2023, had no place to move in the sluggish Bears offence. His overall performance for the day is 11 out of 22 passes for 99 yards, a touchdown, and a mistake of an interception. Along with three sacks, he received five hits.
When Fields was given the all-clear to return, Kansas City was up 41-3.
Inputs from Jim McMahon
Compared to a Chiefs squad that amassed 456 yards of offence while slowing down after halftime, the Bears only mustered 203 yards of offence. All of it culminated in Jim McMahon’s in-game condemnation of the Bears, who encapsulated the team’s situation in one word: “disappointing.”
The Bears’ offence was unprepared by them.
On Kansas City’s opening possession, which was over after six plays and 17 yards, the Bears forced a punt from the Chiefs. Kansas scored points on each of their six consecutive offensive possessions, and a successful scoring run of the Chiefs ended with a touchdown pass. Mahomes threw the ball to Kelce, and Kelce caught it in the end zone.
With no realistic chance of winning, Patrick Mahomes made his last pass and left. Blaine Gabbert was substituted to finish the game in place of Mahomes.
In contrast, the Bears’ longest drive in the first half was only 31 yards. They had five punts in the first half, plus a fumble, an interception, and a punt. They didn’t score until their final possession when Fields connected with DJ Moore for a pointless touchdown. Moreover, a third of their offence for the day came from that 75-yard drive. The 31-yard drive they made on their second possession was their previous longest drive.
Tom Landry is overtaken by Andy Reid.
After losing to the Detroit Lions on opening night at home, the Chiefs have now won two straight games. With his 271st career victory, head coach Andy Reid overtook Dallas Cowboys great Tom Landry and moved up to fourth place in the NFL’s all-time wins list.
Mahomes hurt his right ankle before halftime but returned to the game at the start of the third quarter, saving the Chiefs from a potential injury worry. Their main worry from the game looks to be right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who was benched in the second half after a string of infractions, continuing a long-running controversy since he signed a $80 million contract with the Chiefs.
The loss for the Bears will make Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus’ second season together even more prominent. What is the Bears’ good news? They play the Denver Broncos the following week, who earlier on Sunday fell to the Miami Dolphins 70-20.
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