4 Keys to a Chicago Bears victory over Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3

In what has thus far been a disastrous season for the Chicago Bears, a Week 3 trip to Kansas City to play the defending Super Bowl champions comes at the worst possible time.

The Chiefs have been struggling a bit. Through two games, Kanas City has averaged less than 19 points per game. Not very Patrick Mahomes-like. But these are still the Chiefs. They’ve won two of the last five Super Bowls, and as long as Mahomes is under center, they will be one of the best teams in the league.

But no team is immune to upsets, and the NFL is a league of “any given Sunday.” Crazy upsets happen seemingly all the time, and boy, could Bears fans use the good vibes of an upset win that snaps a 12-game losing streak.

A Bears victory is improbable but not impossible.

Here are four keys to a Chicago Bears win over the Chiefs.

Turn pressures into sacks

Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears defensive line generated a lot of pressure on Baker Mayfield. According to NBC Sports’ Josh Schrock, the defensive line generated 22 pressures, six of which came from Andrew Billings alone. Here’s the problem: none of those pressures produced a sack.

Sack production tends to be a fluctuating statistic. Typically, coaches want to see a high number of pressures, believing that, eventually, these will turn into sacks.

Perhaps last week’s performance by the defensive line is a sign of a breakthrough game for Chicago. If the Bears defense doesn’t break out of their sack slump, Mahomes will drop 40 points with ease.

The “real” Justin Fields must stand up

Justin Fields admitted Wednesday that he hasn’t played his game this season, calling his Week 2 performance “robotic.” Fields confirmed what we’ve all been seeing. He hasn’t looked like the Justin Fields we’ve come to expect.

From his comments, it sounds like he will change things up against the Chiefs. He’ll play looser and with his instincts instead of the rules and structure of the offense. If that’s true, then the Bears have a puncher’s chance of winning because we all know Fields can take it to the house on any given down.

If Justin Fields plays how we know he can, then the Chiefs’ defense could be in for a long day.

Luke Getsy must change

Last year, the Bears offense started off horrendous, which led to offensive coordinator Luke Getsy pivoting to a Fields-run-heavy offense in Week 7. The Bears instantly became must-see TV.

The 2023 season is starting the same way last year did, but rather than wait until Week 7, Getsy must scrap his scheme now and go back to what Fields does well.

Getsy’s playcalling has been downright atrocious, embarrassing even. On the potential go-ahead drive against Tampa Bay, he called the same play three times in a row, resulting in a pick-six for Tampa Bay. That is unacceptable.

As much as Fields needs to own his shortcomings thus far and step up his game, so does Getsy.

Mental Toughness

This past week has been a whirlwind of bad news at Halas Hall. The entire NFL world is clowning the franchise, the ownership, and, to some extent, the players.

The Bears are, without a doubt, the kicked dog of the NFL right now, and if that’s the vibe they give off on Sunday, then they stand no chance of winning.

Now more than ever, the HITS principle that head coach Matt Eberflus preaches must come into play. The Chicago Bears must show mental fortitude in the face of extreme adversity. It’s a tall order given all the chaos surrounding the team, all the doubts, and having to go into one of the league’s loudest, most hostile stadiums to face the reigning MVP and champions.

But hey, the road to greatness is never easy.

Final Prediction: Bears lose 38-30

I’m as optimistic a Bears writer as you’ll find, but I can’t pick them to beat the Chiefs. Especially not with the way things are right now.

My biggest hope is that the offense emerges and puts up a real fight. If they lose a shootout with the Kansas City Chiefs, my hat’s off to them, and I think most Bears fans would accept that.

It’s tough to come back from an 0-3 start, but if we can at least see signs of the ship being righted, then Bears fans should be able to take some positives away from what would be their 13th consecutive loss.

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