Five things to know about the Chiefs’ next opponent: Chicago Bears
There will be plenty for NBC broadcasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth to discuss before kickoff of the Chiefs’ game on Sunday.
The Chiefs will play the Bears in Chicago on “Sunday Night Football” and there are some natural story lines. Bears coach Matt Nagy was an assistant under Chiefs coach Andy Reid, and Chicago quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was taken eight picks before Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Before the season, this game seemed like it might be between teams headed to the postseason. Alas, the Bears lost four of five games at one point and with a 7-7 record have been eliminated from the playoffs.
Here are five things to know about the Bears ahead of Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC (Ch. 41):
1. Mitchell Trubisky
Anyone who (somehow) doesn’t know the Chicago Bears traded up to select quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft will learn that fact on Sunday.
This will be a talking point because the the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes eight picks later and, well, the regret is strong among Bears fans.
Trubisky’s stats haven’t remotely compared to Mahomes, who was last season’s Most Valuable Player in the NFL.
This season, Trubisky has taken a step back. He has completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,774 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His quarterback rating is 84.2, which is down from last year’s 95.4. Trubisky’s average yards per attempt of 6.2 is the lowest of his career. He’s thrown at least one interception in five consecutive games.
But Trubisky has topped a passer rating of 100 four times this season, including twice in the last three games.
Here is a touchdown pass Trubisky threw Sunday against the Packers:
2. Receiving corps
Wide receiver Allen Robinson is Trubisky’s favorite target, and he leads Chicago in receptions (83), receiving yards (1,023) and receiving touchdowns (seven). The Bears call a number of screen passes with running back Tarik Cohen, who has 67 catches.
Wide receiver Anthony Miller has done well over the Bears’ last four games:
3. An Iowa State standout
Former Cyclones star David Montgomery leads the Bears with 719 rushing yards and five running touchdowns. Montgomery also has caught 24 passes for 183 yards.
At Iowa State, Montgomery was known for his tough running and that’s carried over to the NFL:
Cohen has run the ball 58 times for 185 yards.
The Bears’ offense ranks in the bottom quarter in the NFL in rushing yards per game (85.6), scoring (18.3 points per game), total offense (298.4 yards per game) and passing (212.8 ypg).
4. The defense
On the other hand, Chicago’s defense is among the NFL’s top 10 in scoring (18.4 points per game), total defense (324.0 ypg) and rushing (96.6 ypg). The Bears are seventh-best in stopping teams on third downs (35%).
Star linebacker Khalil Mack’s sack numbers are down (12 1/2 in 2018 to 7 1/2 this year), but he’s forced five fumbles and has four passes defended.
Chiefs cornerback Kendall Fuller’s brother is a cornerback with the Bears: Kyle Fuller. He leads Chicago with three interceptions.
5. Special teams
Kicker Eddy Piniero has done well on kicks of under 40 yards (14 of 15), but beyond that, he’s struggled. Piniero has missed four of his eight attempts from beyond 40 yards.
Chicago leads the NFL in kickoff returns, averaging 27.4 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson, the former Patriots and Vikings star, has a 29.6 average on kickoff returns.
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 9:36 AM.
