It was a frustrating night for the Chicago Bears starters at times. The defense, playing without four key guys, allowed 20 points in the first half. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams and the offense failed to get going in the first quarter, punting on the first two drives. The Kansas City Chiefs looked like the well-oiled machine they’ve been for years. That said, the Bears didn’t let that ruin their night. Williams and the offense responded with 10 points in the 2nd quarter, including a long 12-play drive against the Chiefs’ starting defense. It wasn’t always pretty, but the response was nice to see.
However, all of the knee-jerk reactions from it masked perhaps the most encouraging element the Bears showed. The offensive line played well. D’Andre Swift averaged four yards per carry, and there was decent movement up front despite the Bears not starting Joe Thuney. Even better was the pass protection. There were clean pockets for much of the first half. Kansas City managed only one sack, and it came on a play where Williams held the ball too long and failed to get rid of it.
The Chicago Bears got some much-needed lessons from that game.
A humbling night against the league’s current dynasty was just the douse of cold water this team needed after their 38-0 romp over Buffalo last week. It was a good reminder that they still have lots of work to do. Yet to see the offensive line play like that is so encouraging. Kansas City has one of the league’s better defensive fronts with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Being able to hold your ground against them without your best blocker is no small thing. Remember, the Chicago Bears didn’t do much scheming. Head coach Ben Johnson mostly had players go man-to-man along the line, and guys held up. That speaks to the good work done by offensive line coach Dan Roushar. This process won’t be perfect, but the team is trending in the right direction.
