Week 4 had Jay Cutler turning from villain to hero within a 5 minute span as he threw a late pick in the 4th quarter to set up Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski for the go ahead field goal from 41 yards out. The Cutler of years past would have pouted his way to the locker room after the Bears offense stalled trying to score during their 2-minute drill following the turnover. But that was not the case last Sunday, as Cutler moved his team down the field to set up the game winning Robbie Gould field goal from 49 yards with 2 seconds left on the clock.
So the Bears won’t go 0 – 16 during the 2015 season… Darn, but the 1st overall pick in the NFL draft is still up for grabs as the Monsters of the Midway take to the road in week 5 to play the 1 – 3 Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs have had a rough start to their season considering they have had to play Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and regular season Andy Dalton the past 3 weeks. The lone win came against the terrible Texans to start their season.
The KC offense is ran by game manager Alex Smith who uses his legs and short passing game to move the chains. Thru 4 games, Smith is averaging over 250 YPG thru the air which would be a career high if he can continue at that pace. Smith is not known as a prolific passer but he does enough to keep his team in the game without turning the ball over. Smith averages only 5.75 inceptions per year which is unheard of for Bears fans.
The Chiefs have been known to run the ball and play stout defense in the past but with the addition of WR Jeremy Maclin (28/398/1) thru free agency and the progression of TE Travis Kelce (21/293/2), the offense doesn’t have to solely rely on Jamaal Charles (59/306/4) like in years past.
The Chiefs defense received a boost last week as corner back Seth Smith returned from injury to help solidify Kansas City’s secondary. The Chiefs also have 5 Pro Bowlers on defense but they are still giving up 31+ PPG this year and lead the league in allowing 11 passing touchdowns.
There are reasons the Chiefs are 1 – 3 and the Bears will need to exploit them to have a shot in this game. Expect Cutler to have a lot of yards thru the air as this should be a high scoring game considering these two teams are tied for dead last in scoring defense. Matt Forte and Marty Bennett will have to be the go to guys again because it appears that Alshon Jeffery will miss his 3rd straight week with a hamstring.
The Bears defense will be able to get to Alex Smith this game as the Chiefs offensive line is giving up over 4 sacks a game. Containing Charles will be the #1 priority for Vic Fangio’s defense but they have to be weary of Maclin on the outside and Kelce eating up this inexperienced line backing core.
If this game was in Chicago, the Bears would have a better shot of pulling off the upset but it is not in the cards considering they have to go on the road to the 2nd toughest stadium in the NFL.
At least the Lions are on the schedule for week 6!
Bears Chiefs Notes & Predictions
Key Matchup: CB Kyle Fuller vs WR Jeremy Maclin
Key Injuries: QB Jay Cutler (Questionable), WR Alshon Jeffery (Questionable), C Will Montgomery (Out)
Fact: Bears are 2 – 3 at Arrowhead Stadium
Fantasy Spotlight: WR Jeremy Maclin
Spread: Chiefs -10
Prediction: Chiefs 34, Bears 28
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