4-0: Bear cap off unbeaten preseason with impressive win over Chiefs |
KANSAS CITY - Not only did they enter Thursday's game with the Kansas City Chiefs at 3-0, but they then went on to cap off an unbeaten preseason with an impressive 34-21 showing. Remember that neither of the team's primary guys were playing in this one, but holding a 27-7 lead at one point in this game against the defending champions is worth noting.
Whether it be the backup QB battle of Brett Rypien and Tyson Bagent or players like Velus Jones Jr trying to earn a roster spot at a new position, Chicago's depth was on full display during this game on Thursday. It didn't take the Bears long to open the scoring as Bagent led them down the field on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. On that drive, you had the big play coming from Bagent as he hooked up with Nsimba Webster for 44 yards to move the ball inside the Chiefs 20. With Khari Blasingaem and Travis Homer keeping the ball moving, it was Bagent taking care of the rest with his legs as he raced in from five yards out to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. This was the beginning of what was a strange sequence of possessions. The two teams combined for just 39 yards of offense over the rest of the first quarter and into the second and came away with no points. A missed field goal and a pair of turnovers on downs led to their misfortunes. Then came the Bears' final possession of the first quarter, which moved into the second, as Rypien was now under center and doing his part to move the chains. Rypien acknowledged during the week that he is embracing to become a free agent once again despite playing very well this preseason. With the help of Ian Wheeler on the ground to open things up, Rypien was able to find Webster up top for another big gain to move the ball into Chiefs territory. Later in the drive, it was Tyler Scott's turn to come down with a big play as he led the Bears with 99 yards receiving and helped set up a 32 yard Cairo Santos field to put Chicago in front 10-0. With the Bears defense continuing to play well and forcing another punt, it was D'Andre Carter muffing that punt, as the Chiefs took over after the fumble. Two plays later, it was the Bears' turn to force a turnover, as Reddy Stewart picked off Chris Oladokun in the end zone to kill a drive and gave the ball back to the Bears offense, which couldn't do anything with it. It took the Chiefs nearly the entire first half to break through on the scoreboard, but on two carries, Carson Steele found the Endzone, including his 32-yard TD run that got him into the Endzone as the Bears lead was cut to 10-7. The Bears dominated the rest of the first half as Rypien found Scott again as part of his team-high 106 yards, passing for 37 yards to help set up another Santos field goal. In contrast, a second interception from Stewart late in the first half resulted in a 48-yard pick-six as the Bears took a 20-7 lead into the half. With a massive lead at the break, the Bears offense didn't waste any time getting things going in the second half as they traveled 92 yards on their first possession for another score. Scott played a massive role as he remained the team's top target, even with Austin Reed now in at QB. Scott helped set the Bears offense up with his hands and legs while Tommy Sweeney finished it with a six-yard TD reception to extend the Bears lead to 27-7. At that point in the game, Jones Jr took over as he rushed for a team-high 111 yards on just 13 carries to prove he has what it takes to be an RB in this league. That included a 39-yard TD scamper late in the third quarter to open up a 34-7 lead as the Bears completely dismantled the Chiefs. Chicago would eventually let up as the fourth quarter got underway, and with Ian Book now in at QB, the Chiefs took advantage of that as they scored a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to pull within 34-21. The first of those came on a seven-yard strike from Book to Cornell Powell to make things 34-14 before Book went up top to Montrell Washington for 49 yards, helping set up his second TD pass of the game to Baylor Cupp from 10 yards out to close out the scoring in the Bears 34-21 win. Next up for Chicago will be the regular season, as they will look to use this momentum and keep pushing along.
