Chicago Bears @ Kansas City Chiefs – Preview

By Ha Kung Wong  Chicago Bears

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

Ah, the Bears.

Right now, I’d say Chicago is more concerned about the Chicago Cubs playing their hated rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, in the NLDS, their first ever post-season matchup which may determine whether 107 years of post-season frustration is finally coming to an ended (and whether the movie “Back to the Future” was accurate about predicting a Cubbies World Series win).

But I’m sure there are a few people out there in Chi-town that are wondering whether the Bears have any hope of making the NFL playoffs this year, and whether the narrow win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 4 was the beginning of better days.  Of course, when I say few, I really mean somewhere around 2 or 3 people.  And perhaps that’s including me.

So for you “few” people out there who care, let’s preview the Week 5 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chicago Bears @ Kansas City Chiefs

Bears Offense

It’s tough to swallow, but the truth of the matter is if Jay Cutler doesn’t play, the Bears have zero chance at winning.  Jimmy Clausen looked timid and confused on the field in his start against the Seattle Seahawks, completing 9 of 17 passes for 63 yards.  17 pass attempts?  For 63 yards?  Either Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase doesn’t trust Clausen, or Clausen is actually just that bad.  I think it’s little bit of both, plus the fact that Seattle’s Legion of Boom is no joke in the secondary.  Through a quarter season, Seattle has allowed the second lowest yards per game in the NFL (278.8).  So perhaps Clausen had the odds stacked against him, but if you’re only getting 63 yards through the air, you’re really not giving anyone a chance to win.

Of course, the Oakland Raiders defense is nowhere near Seattle’s caliber, actually allowing the second MOST yards per game on defense (403.8), but Cutler looked good under center in his return regardless of the matchup.  Cutler went 28 of 43 for 2 TDs and one cringe-worthy INT, reminding us that although he’s better than Clausen, he’s still Cutler.  Thankfully, Robbie Gould bailed him out with a last second 49-yard FG for the eeked out win.  And always the motivator, here were Cutlers thoughts on his injury coming into Week 5:

“I feel better. I do. I’m still not exactly where I want to be, but it is what it is, and we have a lot of guys banged up out here. I’ll just make do.”

Wow.  Just inspires confidence, doesn’t it?

Alshon Jeffery should make it back to the field this weekend, but will be limited coming off a hamstring injury.  Eddie Royal had a breakout game against the Raiders, but sustained an ankle injury that has kept him out of practice all week.  It’s questionable whether he will see the field, leaving targets up for grabs between Marquess Wilson and Martellus Bennett.

Fortunately for the Bears, the Kansas City Defense is not nearly as intimidating as they’ve been in the past, as they’ve allowed the fourth most passing yards per game (295.5) to opposing offenses and the MOST points per game to opposing offenses in the NFL this year.  Kansas City is much better at containing the run, so I suspect we’ll see the Bears try to pick on the secondary to move the ball.  I certainly believe they’ll have some success getting points on the board, with or without a completely healthy offense (which also suffered the loss of their starting center last week).

Bears Defense

So, guess who’s TIED for allowing the MOST points per game to opposing offenses this year?  You guessed it, the Chicago Bears Defense.  Similar to last year, Chicago has a much harder time stopping the run than the pass, which spells disaster when facing a consistent ground threat like Jamaal Charles.  And Alex Smith may not throw a ton of TDs, but he certainly gobbles up yards with his newfound favorite target, Jeremy Maclin.  Honestly, there’s not much more to say here.  Both defenses are going to be revolving doors.

Prediction

Both teams are 1-3 with questionable defenses.  But with the home crowd noise at Arrowhead Stadium, along with the Chiefs’ slightly less error prone offense, I’m expecting a relatively high scoring game where the Chiefs eek out a win due to a Bears turnover.

Chicago Bears 27  – Kansas City Chiefs 31

And with that said, I’m jumping on my hoverboard to get a Pepsi Perfect to drink.