Top Offensive Player
Quarterback Alex Smith – 20 of 30 passing, 181 yards and 25 yards of rushing
While Smith is the undisputed starting quarterback of this team, he proved he is in full command of this offense leading three scoring drives in the first half that included a touchdown and two field goals.
Top Defensive Player
Inside Linebacker Derrick Johnson – 1 sack and 3 tackles
With no Justin Houston, Tamba Hali or Eric Berry, it was very important for Johnson to step up. He made some great plays in the backfield, blowing up a couple of Jeremy Langford runs, but also recorded the first sack of the game against Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler.
Overall Stats
The Chiefs offense ended the game with 305 yards of passing and only one interception which came on a tipped Aaron Murray pass. On the ground, the Chiefs only picked up 82 yards, but both of their touchdowns were scored by running backs. Of note, Alex Smith was the Chiefs leading rusher with 25 yards, 17 of them picked up on one play going after a first down.
On defense, the Chiefs looked much better than they have over the last couple of weeks stopping the run. They held the Bears to 57 yards on 18 attempts. The pass rush is still suffering in the absence of Houston and Hali, but Johnson was able to get to Cutler, as was Dontari Poe on the last play of the first half. Additionally, rookies Chris Jones and Dadi Nicholas flashed in their limited roles.
Game Summary
The first interesting thing that most people noted during the opening kickoff was that even though running back Knile Davis is still listed at the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 1 kick returner, rookie Tyreek Hill was back deep to return the opening kickoff. Not sure what this means for Davis’ position on the roster.
The Chiefs’ opening drive really moved well. The line looked solid despite the fact that backup center Zach Fulton got the start due to an illness with starter Mitch Morse. Quarterback Alex Smith was moved the ball around well including a perfect 14-yard out to tight end Travis Kelce who made a diving catch for the first down.
The Chiefs second offensive drive looked much better and though it included a sack on Smith, he then followed it up with a perfect scramble around the right side for a first down. The rushing attempt ended with Smith evading a defender and diving for the sticks to extend the drive. After getting to the two-yard-line, the Chiefs were forced to settle for a Cairo Santos field goal.
The subsequent Bears drive went hardly anywhere and was stopped after a Johnson sack against quarterback Jay Cutler.
Two Chiefs series later, there was some collective breath-holding by Chiefs fans. After moving around the pocket, Smith hit Kelce on a third-down play that got the first down. However, Smith was noticeably shaken on the play after taking a hard hit, caught between two defenders. Smith was noticeably holding his arm as he moved back to the huddle. On the very next play, Smith was the recipient of a blow to the helmet by Bears’ defensive end Mitch Unrein which led to a 15-yard penalty. Smith came right back firing, but despite his heroics, the Chiefs only ended up with another field goal.
On the following Bears possession, Chris Jones swatted a Cutler pass so hard, it went twenty yards in the opposite direction. On the punt, Frankie Hammond Jr. took the return. Could this be foreshadowing of things to come on Tuesday, when the team must cut down their roster from 90 to 75?
As the Chiefs came back in on offense, it was apparent that Smith was okay after a couple of hard hits, because he was back under center completing his next couple of passes. Smith threw an absolute dart to the tight end Harris who split two defenders for a 19-yard reception. Tyreek Hill then ran the width of the field and then 11 yards up the field for a first down in the blink of an eye. After a screen pass to fullback Anthony Sherman, it looked like the guy known as “the sausage” might punch it in. That was before it was punched out and on the ground. Luckily, right tackle Mitch Schwartz was there to fall on the ball. From that point, Smith hit receiver Jeremy Maclin on a quick slant that brought the Chiefs to the one-yard line and then Ware punched it in.
As the Bears had six seconds remaining, they tried to run a “Hail Mary” but lost five yards on a false start, had an incomplete pass and then defensive tackle Dontari Poe busted through the offensive line–as part of a three-man rush–and sacked Cutler, causing a fumble to end the half.
As the second half began, it appeared that head coach Andy Reid must have heard the collective pleas from the fan base. The Chiefs second team began the second half on defense, despite the fact that the Bears kept their starters on the field. After the Bears converted a fourth-and-four, the drive stalled after some pressure was applied to Cutler and the Bears had to settle for a field goal attempt, which kicker Robbie Gould pulled to the left.
After the Chiefs got a slow start with their second-team offense which included a couple of incomplete passes from Nick Foles, he showed off the canon he has attached to shoulder and fired a huge 53-yard pass down the field. Even though Hill was knocked down by the Bears defender–which wasn’t called pass interference–Hill got up, and doubled back, catching the ball. After a couple of short plays inside the 20-yard line, running back Darrin Reaves punched it across the goal line for the Chiefs second touchdown of the day.
After the Bears brought in backup quarterback Brian Hoyer–remember him from last season?–the Chiefs forced another three-and-out and the Bears punted to De’Anthony Thomas who had a nice return.
That brought on Aaron Murray who is potentially the Chiefs third-string signal caller. He–and the rest of the third string–wasn’t supposed to get very much playing time in this game, but because the Chiefs offense had the ball so much during the first half, it apparently altered Reid’s game plan. After a rocky first couple of plays, Murray found Hammond Jr. for a nice 14-yard completion that led to a first down. The drive stalled, and the Chiefs punted.
On the first play of the third quarter, Hoyer hit a swing pass and rookie cornerback D.J. White over pursued. However, he made a fantastic open field tackle stopping the first down. This then led to defensive end David King breaking through the Bears’ offensive line and stopping the third down run behind the line of scrimmage. Going for it on fourth down, Hoyer did what he tends to do, which is throw an incompletion, giving the ball back to Murray and the Chiefs offensive.
After a slow start to the drive, Murray showed that he really wants to be on this football team. Standing strong in the pocket and taking hits while completing big plays is a great way to get the coaching staff to take notice. Along with that, many–including me–believe that there are only one, maybe two wide receiver slots open on the final 53-man roster. Frankie Hammond Jr., though he has had troubles in the past with this team, made the case for one of those spots today. As Murray overthrew tight end Brian Parker in the end zone, the Chiefs settled for their third field goal of the game.
After an injury to Hoyer, third-string quarterback Connor Shaw entered the game and drove the Bears down the field, ending the drive with the team’s lone touchdown of the afternoon.
The subsequent Chiefs possession was a quick three-and-out, led by the Chiefs fourth quarterback, rookie Kevin Hogan. After a couple of hurried, errant passes, the Chiefs punted giving the Bears another shot on offense.
During this series, Shaw, who looked very good in the previous drive, had his ankle rolled on by Chiefs defensive lineman, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and was carted off the field, writhing in pain. Hoyer, who seemed healed from his earlier injury, came back into the game. Hoyer was unable to do anything, which turned the ball back over to the Chiefs, who then finished out the game.
Final Thoughts
This is a very good Chiefs team. If this was the “dress rehearsal” the offense looked good and the defense looked much improved, given the major pieces they are missing. When September 11 rolls around, this team will be ready to win.