The Bears took one on the chin Sunday night, falling in a 17-0 hole at halftime and never recovering in a 26-3 loss to the Chiefs. It was the Bears’ eighth loss of the season, depriving them a shot at a winning season. Here’s a full look at out three keys for Sunday’s game.
1. Get going on offense much earlier than normal. Don’t let the game get away.
Pregame analysis: You’re aware of the Bears’ first-half woes, correct? In 14 games, they’ve failed to score a first-half touchdown nine times. Paging Principal Ed Rooney. Niiiiiine times! Forty-five of their 106 first-half points have come in wins against the Cowboys and Redskins.
Meanwhile, in their seven losses, the Bears offense has averaged 102.3 yards, 6.1 first downs and 2.6 points before halftime. This is no longer just a troubling trend. It’s damning evidence to convict the 2019 offense of malpractice.
Another first-half funk won’t cut it Sunday night. Not against a team as explosive as the Chiefs. In their 14 games, the Chiefs have scored almost as many points in the first half (240) as the Bears have scored all season (256). Yikes.
Postgame recap: Well, make that 10 times in 15 games that the offense has failed to score a touchdown before halftime. And Sunday marked the fourth time this season that the Bears were shut out in the first half.
With NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” spotlight shining, the first-half production again was unflattering and unsurprising. The Bears averaged only 4.0 yards per play and were outgained by the Chiefs 203-93. Matt Nagy’s unit punted on its first three possessions, then committed two penalties on the final desperation drive of the second quarter and ended the half with a 10-second run-off.
Worst of all, they went to the intermission trailing 17-0, matching their largest halftime deficit of the season.
2. Contain Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Just as simple as that.
Pregame analysis: Easier said than done, obviously. Mahomes is the league’s reigning MVP, was voted back to the Pro Bowl this week and has thrown for 8,987 yards and 73 touchdowns in 29 career regular-season starts. He has 17 games with at least 300 passing yards, 15 games with at least three touchdown passes and 11 games with both.
Kelce, meanwhile, is the Chiefs’ leading receiver and arguably Andy Reid’s most valuable chess piece. Among tight ends, Kelce is the NFL leader in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,131). He also has four touchdowns and the full respect of Bears coach Matt Nagy, who appreciated his value up close in Kansas City from 2013 to ’17. Nagy called Kelce “super ultra-talented.”
“He’s very, very smart,” Nagy added. “He understands zones. He understands timing with the quarterback, depending on what happens with releases and that sort of thing. He gets all of that. He’s very football smart and he’s competitive as hell.”
Postgame recap: Mahomes and Kelce connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the first half, a highlight-reel moment that padded the Chiefs’ lead to 17-0. Kelce turned nine targets into 84 yards, and that touchdown was a testament to his route-running savvy and chemistry with his quarterback.
“Special tight end,” Khalil Mack said. “He’s great getting in and out of his breaks and making it easy for Patrick. So those guys are special.”
Mahomes, meanwhile, went 23-for-33 for 251 yards with two touchdown passes and a 12-yard scoring run. By his standards, it was a fairly ordinary game. But it was more than enough to spark a breezy 23-point victory.
3. Take the ball away. More than once.
Pregame analysis: It’s fair to acknowledge how well the Bears defense has played in 2019. They rank eighth in the league in yards allowed per game (324) and fifth in yards allowed per play (5.0). They have allowed only 18.1 points per game. Only the Patriots (12.9) and Bills (15.9) have been better.
This defense is still pretty darn good and has been unfairly bombarded with criticism in some pockets of the fan base in large part because the offense has provided so little margin for error. Still, while it was always going to be hard for the Bears to match last season’s league-best takeaway total of 36, few expected their regression in that category to be so pronounced.
Through 14 games, the Bears have just 16 takeaways — in the bottom 10 of the league. They’ve had five games without a takeaway and only four in which they have forced multiple turnovers. Last season the Bears had only two games without a takeaway and 11 in which they forced multiple turnovers. That’s the quickest way to explain how this defense has gone from elite to just pretty good. As for Sunday night’s matchup, the Chiefs have turned the ball over multiple times in just three games.
Postgame recap: No takeaways. Zero. Again. For the third consecutive game and the sixth time this season. In fact, the Bears’ last takeaway was Eddie Jackson’s interception of David Blough’s desperation fourth-and-22 heave on the Lions’ final play on Thanksgiving Day.
Excluding opponent kneel-downs, Chuck Pagano’s defense has gone 30 possessions since creating a turnover. On Sunday night, the defense never had an opportunity to play with the lead.
The Bears also failed to create any sort of consistent pressure on Mahomes. Khalil Mack had their only sack, producing a 7-yard loss in the second quarter. But the Chiefs quarterback quickly minimized the impact by converting third-and-18 on the next snap with a 19-yard bullet to Tyreek Hill. Story of the night. The latest disappointing loss left a different kind of sting.
“This one was just embarrassing,” Mack said. “Understanding the situation and understanding how we wanted to represent, especially at home, that’s just a feeling that I know most of the guys in the locker room feel.”