They didn’t win the Super Bowl, but the Chicago Bears had a reason to celebrate on Sunday, as they finally won a game this season at the expense of the Oakland Raiders. With Jay Cutler back under center to save the Bears from Jimmy Clausen, will the Bears record their second-straight win and take down the reeling Kansas City Chiefs? The Chiefs are on a three-game losing streak and a loss to Chicago would be a clear sign that they’ve hit rock bottom.
For more Week 5 game previews, you can also read our breakdown of Texans vs. Colts and Redskins vs. Falcons.
[sc:Football ]Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs Preview
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
When: Sunday, October 11, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Chicago Bears (+9) at Kansas City Chiefs (-9); total: 44.5 – see all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Chicago Bears
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Bears are not going to finish this season winless. That much was guaranteed when Chicago notched its first victory of the year with a morale-boosting 22-20 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. The Bears will now take the road for a clash with the reeling Chiefs.
Jay Cutler returned from a one-week absence due to a hamstring injury, passing for 281 yards and two touchdowns with an interception against the Chiefs. Matt Forte, on the other hand, had a huge share of the backfield workload, as he rushed for a team-high 91 yards on 25 touches.
Cutler’s presence on the field, however, won’t be enough to inject confidence on the still languishing Bears’ offense. He needs to get back his top weapon in the form of Alshon Jeffery, who missed his third-straight game because of a hamstring ailment.
Should Jeffery continue to sit, Cutler has no option but to create something out of a receiving corps that is currently led by tight end Martellus Bennett (201 receiving yards, two touchdowns this season) and wideout Eddie Royal (120 yards, one touchdown). Hopefully for the Bears, Jeffery will be healthy enough to play against Kansas City, which has a leaky defense that allows 295.5 passing yards per game.
In any case, the Bears will have to utilize Forte to free up the team’s passing game. The Chiefs are letting 101.5 yards on the ground per game, which means it’s not a far-fetched idea that Chicago will go run heavy in Week 4.
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Betting on the Kansas City Chiefs
Are the Chiefs trying to start another notorious streak? A week after ending their long-standing touchdown drought at the wide receiver position, the Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 36-21, in a game that saw them record no end zone score.
Instead, the Chiefs relied on kicker Cairo Santos, who nailed all of his seven field goal attempts. As effective as Santos was, the fact that a kicker produced all the points for the Chiefs only means that there’s some serious problem on Kansas City’s offense.
Take for example the Chiefs’ offensive line, that has done a terrible job of keeping Alex Smith upright. Smith has been an easy target for opposing pass rushers this season, as he has been sacked 16 times over the Chiefs’ last three games. That includes the five sacks the Bengals administered on him on Sunday.
Despite the weak protection, Smith was able to pass for 386 yards on 31-of-45 completion. Chicago has just 6.0 sacks on the season, but the Chiefs can’t afford to underestimate a Bears pass defense that allows just 189.8 passing yards per game (fifth-best in the NFL).
One positive takeaway for the Chiefs in the Bengals game was the continued improvement of Jeremy Maclin. Maclin had 148 receiving yards on 11 catches against Cincinnati. It was his second-straight 100-yard effort, as he hauled down eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the team’s loss to Green Bay back in Week 3.
Writer’s Prediction
Kansas City wins, 28-21.
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