Chiefs vs. Bears Preview and Predictions in NFL
NFL Previews 22nd August 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 08/22/2018
The Chicago Bears have a tough assignment because they have to contend with three teams in their own NFC North division who have the capability of making the playoffs. And so the question is whether they have done enough in the way of improvements to make themselves relevant. First-year coaches sometimes find success right away, and maybe Matt Nagy can catch lightning in a bottle.
The Kansas City Chiefs are beginning a new "era," if you will, as they have handed the ball to a new quarterback, trading the previous one who had guided them to playoff appearances. So in a sense, this is like starting over, and they are going to have to live with the mistakes a near-rookie is going to make at the game's most critical position.
Previews and Predictions for the NFL
The Bears have already played in three pre-season games (remember that they were in the Hall of Fame Game) and last week they beat Denver 24-23. The Chiefs scored a 28-14 win over an indifferent Atlanta team. Now, these clubs meet at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
TV: 1 PM ET, NFL Network. LINE: Bears -2. O/U: 47.5
ABOUT THE CHIEFS: In the win over Atlanta, three quarterbacks got a lot of work. Patrick Mahomes, of course, is the guy most Chiefs fans are interested in, and he was 8-12 for 138 yards. He was also intercepted. Chad Henne, a long-time backup with Jacksonville and one-time starter in Miami, had a 135.4 passer rating, and Matt McGloin, who has started for the Raiders in the past, was sharp, completing nine of 10. That would leave Chase Litton, the rookie from Marshall, as the odd man out, although there does exist the possibility that he could be put on the practice squad. Charcandrick West, the Chiefs rushing leader in the 2015 season, was cut from the squad this week. West was dealing with a concussion during training camp and yielded very little production last season, with the arrival of Kareem Hunt. Ultimately there was no room for him, but releasing him gives the Chiefs more than $1.6 million of additional salary cap room. And before camp began. Spencer Ware, part of the backup crew at RB, restructured his contract to make it more incentive-driven. And by the way, the running backs did not perform well against Atlanta, averaging just over two yards per carry. Orlando Scandrick has been signed to a contract and will provide some depth, at the very least, for a secondary that has been hit by injuries. The Chiefs have not disqualified the possibility that they could seek even more veteran help in the defensive backfield.
ABOUT THE BEARS: Roquan Smith, the first-round draft pick who recently ended a holdout and signed a contract, has hamstring issues, which may not be the most unexpected thing in the world. It's held him out of some practice, but how it is going to affect him for an extended period is anybody's guess. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, a veteran standout, at out the Denver game with knee issues that happened all of a sudden. Leonard Floyd, the outstanding edge rusher, had to have surgery on his hand last week. It's not the kind of thing that is going to put him out for the year, but it might prevent him from making it to the season opener. In any event, you are going to be looking at a guy who's heavily wrapped or even has a cast in a broken right hand. These are three players the Bears are going to have to get a major contribution from, especially early in the season, while they wait for Mitchell Trubisky to develop into the kind of quarterback they think he'll be. While there is a new offensive system being employed, at least the defensive scheme didn't have to change, with Vic Fangio being kept on board as coordinator. Trubisky completed nine of 14 passes against the Broncos, while Chase Daniel gave Chicago great second-half work with 189 yards and two touchdowns, which helped overcome a 13-point Bronco lead in the fourth quarter. Newly-acquired tight end Trey Burton had four catches for 45 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Trubisky, who visited with Peyton Manning last week, revealed that he had gone to Manning during his junior year at North Carolina for some feedback on whether to enter the NFL Draft. Manning said Trubisky wrote his questions down and was very organized. "That really jumped out to me and I think that kind of discipline and eagerness to learn will help him be a better player."
2. Kansas City offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is also currently a practicing physician, was recently featured on HBO's magazine show, "Real Sports." Teammates don't negotiate his full name but instead just call him "Larry."
3. Andy Reid is now 36-42 straight-up and 35-42-1 against the pointspread in his career as an NFL coach in the pre-season.
PREDICTION: Bears 21, Chiefs 20
NFL Previews 22nd August 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 08/22/2018
The Chicago Bears have a tough assignment because they have to contend with three teams in their own NFC North division who have the capability of making the playoffs. And so the question is whether they have done enough in the way of improvements to make themselves relevant. First-year coaches sometimes find success right away, and maybe Matt Nagy can catch lightning in a bottle.
The Kansas City Chiefs are beginning a new "era," if you will, as they have handed the ball to a new quarterback, trading the previous one who had guided them to playoff appearances. So in a sense, this is like starting over, and they are going to have to live with the mistakes a near-rookie is going to make at the game's most critical position.
Previews and Predictions for the NFL
The Bears have already played in three pre-season games (remember that they were in the Hall of Fame Game) and last week they beat Denver 24-23. The Chiefs scored a 28-14 win over an indifferent Atlanta team. Now, these clubs meet at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
TV: 1 PM ET, NFL Network. LINE: Bears -2. O/U: 47.5
ABOUT THE CHIEFS: In the win over Atlanta, three quarterbacks got a lot of work. Patrick Mahomes, of course, is the guy most Chiefs fans are interested in, and he was 8-12 for 138 yards. He was also intercepted. Chad Henne, a long-time backup with Jacksonville and one-time starter in Miami, had a 135.4 passer rating, and Matt McGloin, who has started for the Raiders in the past, was sharp, completing nine of 10. That would leave Chase Litton, the rookie from Marshall, as the odd man out, although there does exist the possibility that he could be put on the practice squad. Charcandrick West, the Chiefs rushing leader in the 2015 season, was cut from the squad this week. West was dealing with a concussion during training camp and yielded very little production last season, with the arrival of Kareem Hunt. Ultimately there was no room for him, but releasing him gives the Chiefs more than $1.6 million of additional salary cap room. And before camp began. Spencer Ware, part of the backup crew at RB, restructured his contract to make it more incentive-driven. And by the way, the running backs did not perform well against Atlanta, averaging just over two yards per carry. Orlando Scandrick has been signed to a contract and will provide some depth, at the very least, for a secondary that has been hit by injuries. The Chiefs have not disqualified the possibility that they could seek even more veteran help in the defensive backfield.
ABOUT THE BEARS: Roquan Smith, the first-round draft pick who recently ended a holdout and signed a contract, has hamstring issues, which may not be the most unexpected thing in the world. It's held him out of some practice, but how it is going to affect him for an extended period is anybody's guess. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, a veteran standout, at out the Denver game with knee issues that happened all of a sudden. Leonard Floyd, the outstanding edge rusher, had to have surgery on his hand last week. It's not the kind of thing that is going to put him out for the year, but it might prevent him from making it to the season opener. In any event, you are going to be looking at a guy who's heavily wrapped or even has a cast in a broken right hand. These are three players the Bears are going to have to get a major contribution from, especially early in the season, while they wait for Mitchell Trubisky to develop into the kind of quarterback they think he'll be. While there is a new offensive system being employed, at least the defensive scheme didn't have to change, with Vic Fangio being kept on board as coordinator. Trubisky completed nine of 14 passes against the Broncos, while Chase Daniel gave Chicago great second-half work with 189 yards and two touchdowns, which helped overcome a 13-point Bronco lead in the fourth quarter. Newly-acquired tight end Trey Burton had four catches for 45 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Trubisky, who visited with Peyton Manning last week, revealed that he had gone to Manning during his junior year at North Carolina for some feedback on whether to enter the NFL Draft. Manning said Trubisky wrote his questions down and was very organized. "That really jumped out to me and I think that kind of discipline and eagerness to learn will help him be a better player."
2. Kansas City offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is also currently a practicing physician, was recently featured on HBO's magazine show, "Real Sports." Teammates don't negotiate his full name but instead just call him "Larry."
3. Andy Reid is now 36-42 straight-up and 35-42-1 against the pointspread in his career as an NFL coach in the pre-season.
PREDICTION: Bears 21, Chiefs 20
