Bears vs. Chiefs game picks: Can Chicago pull off an upset in Week 3?
The Chicago Bears will visit the Kansas City Chiefs, where Chicago is looking to bounce back following another brutal showing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following an eventful week at Halas Hall, all eyes will be on Chicago to see how they respond against a Kansas City team looking to get on track.
The Bears are 12.5-point road underdogs against the Chiefs in Week 3, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 48.
Can Chicago surprise everyone and snap their 12-game losing streak with a win over Kansas City? Our Bears Wire staff share their game picks for Sunday’s matchup.
Alyssa Barbieri (1-1): Chiefs 35, Bears 23
It’s been quite a week for the Bears, who have had multiple distractions ahead of their matchup against the Chiefs. Justin Fields taking a subtle shot at coaches; Alan Williams resigning; Braxton Jones landed on injured reserve. It’s exactly the opposite environment a struggling team like the Bears need right now.
Even before Wednesday’s events unfolded, I gave the Bears no chance at defeating the Chiefs. Kansas City is a better team in every facet, most importantly coaching. The Chiefs haven’t looked like themselves through two games this season — averaging less than 20 points per game — but this is the kind of get-right game they need. Chicago’s defense has struggled immensely despite roster upgrades, Fields and the offense have plenty to prove and Kansas City’s roster is absolutely loaded.
This game will go one of two ways — the Bears will get blown out on their way to their 13th straight loss or Chicago will shock everyone and actually go out and pull off the upset. My bet is on the former. But you never know with the Bears.
Brendan Sugrue (0-2): Chiefs 35, Bears 24
Remember back in 2021 when a report surfaced that the Bears had decided they would fire then-coach Matt Nagy after their Thanksgiving matchup with the Lions? It became such a major story that George McCaskey needed to address the team. Those were some wild times at Halas Hall, and the Bears still wound up defeating the lowly Lions in one of the worst Thanksgiving games we had seen in years. Well, here we are again, with potentially much bigger issues facing the team, all while preparing to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Whether they want to admit it or not, this has been an incredibly tough week for the Bears, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their defensive coordinator is gone, they’re not answering questions about him, and now they’re expected to take on Patrick Mahomes in hostile territory. Even if Alan Williams wasn’t a great coordinator, the media barrage has to be tough for the players.
And on offense, Justin Fields is vowing to play more freely after struggling these last two weeks, in part due to coaching. The whole operation is a mess right now, and I’d be stunned if they were fully prepared for the upcoming game.
Speaking of the game, the Bears may be catching the Chiefs at a good time after their own slow start, but don’t expect it to last. This team has firepower all over the field, and it’s just a matter of time until they get going. A date with the lowly Bears is the perfect remedy for poor play. Expect Mahomes to re-establish his connection with Travis Kelce and for Nagy (now the Chiefs offensive coordinator) to throw everything he has at his former team to get the offense going again.
The good news for Chicago? Their offense should look better. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy cannot trot out the same game plan he’s had the last two weeks and expect it to work in Kansas City. Look for him to get back to the running game with a heavy dose of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, allow Fields to use his athleticism outside of the pocket, and get D.J. Moore going against a suspect Chiefs secondary. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but seeing the Bears offense find its groove might be the next best thing.
Lucas Hunt (1-1): Bears 30, Chiefs 20
I know, I know. It would be a miracle for the dysfunctional Bears to go into the Super Bowl champion’s house and snatch a win from the jaws of the beast. Every once in a blue moon, however, in the league that has the mantra of “any given Sunday”, miracles do happen.
So, I gave you my extremely bold prediction, so let’s break down how it happens. First and foremost, Bears quarterback Justin Fields needs to have a career game. He’ll have to hold true to his word and play off instinct and trust his talent, and he’ll need to dazzle the Chiefs and the NFL as a whole with a great passing and rushing game. The offense overall needs to be more creative in its play calling, which is where offensive coordinator Luke Getsy comes in. He’ll need to move off of his notorious screen-oriented pass offense and redesign the playbook to work with the skill player’s strengths.
The run game needs to make a ferocious return to the offense as well. Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson will need to earn some tough yards against a good Kansas City front to keep the defense from pinning their ears back and come after Fields. A balanced offense is the key to keeping up with the Chiefs’ dangerous offense.
Defensively, the Bears’ front will need to accomplish what they couldn’t against the Buccaneers in Week 2: bringing down the quarterback for a sack. Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens all had a surprisingly productive day in Tampa Bay last week. That defensive rotation will need to continue their strong play and get in the face of Mahomes consistently on Sunday.
Here’s the gameplan for the secondary in Week 3: STOP KELCE. Kansas City struggled mightily without their Hall of Fame tight end in Week 1, and Detroit was able to exploit that to get a statement victory. Kelce will be healthy and ready to go on Sunday, so the Bears will need to limit his productivity as much as possible in order to stop the Chiefs. If Chicago wants to get the win like their NFC North counterpart, Kelce will need to be gaining nothing but cardio in Week 3.
Yes, even after listing off everything the Bears need to do to outplay the Chiefs, I’m still picking them to win 30-20. Chicago will either crumble under the incredible weight of adversity they’ve endured this week, or rally under it and emerge a better team. I’m choosing to believe the Bears have some fight in them and take down Goliath.
Ryan Fedrau (1-1): Chiefs 35, Bears 13
It’s going to be ugly on Sunday. The Chiefs are on a different level than the Bears. Kansas City is going to tear up Chicago’s defense, and make it a long afternoon for fans. Justin Fields did make comments this week on how he’s going to think less and just play football, so I guess that’s the only sign of hope for this offense. Still, there’s no identity after two weeks on either side of the ball. I don’t see how it’ll be close.
