BUILDING MOMENTUM
Jay Cutler and the Bears try to build off their first win of season at tough Arrowhead Stadium
BEARS RUSHING OFFENSE vs CHIEFS RUN DEFENSE
After holding the Broncos to 61 yards rushing in Week Two, the Chiefs have allowed more than 120 yards on the ground in back-to-back weeks. The Bengals rattled off 4.8 yards a carry and scored four times last Sunday via the running game. The Bengals had some similar zone-read run plays that we could see from the Bears. Matt Forte has 367 yards rushing this season at 4.4 yards a pop. The Raiders did as good a job as any team has done for four quarters, limiting Forte (3.6 yards per carry). The Bears will enter Sunday’s game with at least two players at different positions than their original starting offensive line because of Will Montgomery’s injury and Jermon Bushrod’s status. That will make things more difficult for Forte against a 3-4 Chiefs defense with a very stout nose tackle in Dontari Poe, who can occupy two blockers to create tackle lanes for inside linebacker Derrick Johnson. Defensive tackle Jaye Howard leads the Chiefs with four tackles for loss this season.
EDGE EVEN
BEARS PASSING OFFENSE vs CHIEFS PASS DEFENSE
This is where the Chiefs have struggled of late. Let’s start with the pass rush, which should be a K. C. strength. Instead, after eight sacks combined in the first two games, the Chiefs have brought the quarterback down only once in the past two games. Andy Dalton picked apart soft parts of the zone up the seam and beat the Chiefs deep. He averaged 13.4 yards an attempt, the second-highest total for any QB in a game this season, and completed 70.8 percent of his passes. In terms of personnel, rookie Marcus Peters has been the best corner with seven passes defensed, and the Chiefs just got long, physical corner Sean Smith back from suspension. Eric Berry is back in center field and has great instincts. Jay Cutler may not have that kind of protection, but he has the footwork and the wherewithal to unload the ball early in the play in Adam Gase’s offense. Assuming Cutler feels more comfortable this week, even in a hostile environment, the Bears get a slight advantage against a Chiefs ‘ D’ that has given up a league-high 11 passing touchdowns.
EDGE BEARS
CHIEFS RUSHING OFFENSE vs BEARS RUN DEFENSE
The Bears had their best game of the season defending the run, holding Latavius Murray to 49 yards on 16 carries. However, Jamaal Charles is not Latavius Murray. I know, big shocker. Charles is an electric back in the open field and had 75 yards on only 11 carries vs. the Bengals (6.8-yard average). He’s averaging 5.2 yards a carry every time he touches the ball, while the Bears are allowing 4.4 yards a touch.The Chiefs will work to get Charles outside the tackles, and the team is averaging 10.2 yards a carry off left tackle. Pernell McPhee has been key against the run, along with Jarvis Jenkins. Eddie Goldman was stout at the point of attack last week against former Chiefs center Rodney Hudson. The issue for the Bears’ run defense through four games is that inside linebackers Shea McClellin and Christian Jones aren’t shooting the gaps to make big plays in the backfield. The Bears have been able to stay in games with good run defense in the first half, but this is a much stiffer test against one of
the league’s most dynamic backs.
EDGE CHIEFS
CHIEFS PASSING OFFENSE vs BEARS PASS DEFENSE
The Bengals’ defense hit Alex Smith 10 times and sacked him five times last Sunday. There is your Chiefs weakness – the offensive line. They lost Hudson in free agency and Eric Fisher has been a bust, among other issues. It’s also a concern considering that Andy Reid’s offenses are all about quick passes from the shotgun, letting the receivers do the rest in the open field. Smith has two great weapons to utilize in Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce, who will be matchup issues for the middle of the Bears defense, especially one that likely will be missing starting safety Antrel Rolle. Charles is also a threat as a pass catcher. Opposing quarterbacks have a 112.1 passer rating against the Bears, the second- highest in the league, and are completing 68.2 percent of their passes. Tracy Porter played very well last week, but can that continue? Who will cover Maclin when he lines up
EDGE CHIEFS
SUNDAY’S OVERALL EDGE
in the slot, and how will McClellin handle Kelce up the seam? This is a Chiefs team that has speed and will test the Bears both East- West and North-South.
Both teams are 1-3 in different ways. The Chiefs lost a heartbreaker to the Broncos and haven’t recovered, struggling mightily in the trenches. The Bears should have some confidence after their first win, but they also needed a game-winning field goal to beat the Raiders and did not look good in the second halves of their first three games. Arrowhead Stadium provides a strong home-field advantage and this is a desperate Chiefs team. Third down could be the key to this game, as the Chiefs have the worst third- down defense, but the fourth- best thirddown offense. Both teams have struggled to score touchdowns on offense and they’re both at the bottom of the league in points allowed on defense. In a shootout, the more veteran team with the home field has the advantage.
EDGE CHIEFS