3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 3 Loss vs. Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs put on a show in front of new fan Taylor Swift. On the other side of Sunday's lopsided game at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chicago Bears' disappointing start to the 2023 season continued.
The Bears fell to 0-3 with a lopsided 41-10 loss that quickly got out of hand. Kansas City scored the game's first 41 points, as Chicago didn't get on the scoreboard until a 21-yard field goal by Cairo Santos that came 1 minute and 26 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Over the first three weeks of the season, the Bears have been outscored 106-47 by their opponents. But their Week 3 loss may have been their toughest thus far.
Here are three takeaways from Chicago's loss in Kansas City.
The Offense's Performance Has Been Quite Disappointing
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Most expected Chicago's offense to be improved this season. Quarterback Justin Fields showed substantial improvement during his 2022 sophomore campaign, and he'd have a better receiving corps to work with this year.
However, the Bears' offense has not been faring well. The team is averaging 15.7 points per game following Sunday's loss, during which it had 203 total yards, 11 first downs and two turnovers. Fields went 11-for-22 with 99 yards, one touchdown, one interception and 47 rushing yards.
"We're finding the flow for him," Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus said, per Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago. "We've just got to keep doing it. Keep doing it and we've got to find how to let him do his thing and explode. And it's not just about Justin, it's about everybody on the offense."
The Bears didn't have much of a running game, went 4-for-12 on third downs and allowed Fields to get sacked three times. So there are plenty of issues they need to correct over the upcoming weeks.
The Pass Rush Continues to Be a Major Concern
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Yannick Ngakoue recorded the Chicago's first sack of the season in Week 1, when the 28-year-old defensive end made his debut for the team. At the end of Week 3, that's still the only sack for the Bears this season.
That's right. Through three games, Chicago has an NFL-low one sack. It's concerning that a pass rush that added both Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker hasn't been any better than it was during the 2022 campaign.
The Bears hit Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes five times, but his ability to get rid of the football helped him avoid getting sacked. But Chicago needs to find a way to better complete those plays and get QBs on the ground quicker.
It seems unlikely that the Bears' defense will have a ton of success until they can start putting consistent pressure on quarterbacks and taking them down for sacks. And so far, that is again becoming a primary issue for them.
The Schedule May Get a Bit Lighter in Next Few Weeks
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Each of Chicago's first three opponents this season has a winning record through three weeks. It was obvious that Kansas City (the defending Super Bowl champion) would be a challenging opponent, especially with the game being in a hostile environment.
Things could get at least slightly easier for the Bears over the next few weeks. They're hosting the 0-3 Denver Broncos in Week 4 and the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. In between, Chicago is going on the road to face the Washington Commanders (2-1), who were blown out by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Of course, the Bears are 0-3 themselves, so they're not exactly favorites to win any game at the time being. But they won't be facing teams as strong as the Chiefs, which could help at least a bit.
However, if Chicago goes a few more weeks without getting a win, then it will already be well on its way to a tough season. And that wouldn't be the progress the Bears were looking for after going an NFL-worst 3-14 in 2022.
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