Chiefs vs. Bears: 5 Things That May Surprise You

The Chicago Bears host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a game the Bears need to keep their wild-card hopes alive.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, have lost four straight games. But they battled the Pittsburgh Steelers before losing 13-9 Sunday night, and their defense is not to be taken lightly.

Their offense, on the other hand, has been far from stellar. Still, this is a matchup between two teams looking for improved QB play.

The Chiefs replacement for Matt Cassel—Tyler Palko—has not been good. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler's fill-in—Caleb Hanie—had his share of typical rookie mistakes last Sunday.

Before we get to specific matchups, let me take a quick look at some things that may surprise you about the game.  

Ex-Bear Kyle Orton May Start on Sunday

Kyle Orton went from unappreciated Bears QB to almost coming back after being waived by Denver, and now to possibly facing Chicago in an important game for the Bears on Sunday.

Even though the Chiefs may be just about dead in terms of playoff hopes, even in a weak division, they didn't pay Orton $2.5 million to sit on the bench.

You Bears fans think Caleb Hanie had a rough night in his first start in the NFL? Not when you compare him with Chiefs QB Tyler Palko, who took over for an injured (and ineffective) Matt Cassel.

Palko has been awful so far, so it won't take much for Orton to wrestle the job away from him.

In his two starts, Palko has zero TDs and six interceptions.

Yes, Blame the Defense. Really.

Yes, those three interceptions by Caleb Hanie were key to the Raiders' victory on Sunday, but don't believe that Brian Urlacher's proclamation that the defense was at fault is just dribble.

I actually accept that as gospel. No, not that the defense is solely responsible for the loss. In fact, I would still put those interceptions much higher on the list of excuses.

But the defense has to give up fewer than 25 points for the Bears to win, especially with Hanie as QB.

That is not a knock against Hanie, it's just reality. When you have a new, inexperienced QB, you need to help him out by winning with strong defense and special teams.

If this defense is as good as it says it is, then it's time they stepped up and shut down the opposition. Kansas City has a bad offense and should not score more than 14 points against this Bears defense.

This is what Urlacher said:

"We should have won that football game based on the game our offense played," Urlacher said. "We didn't play well enough on defense, gave up too many big plays and didn't get enough takeaways. That's why we didn't win."

I accept that, Brian.

Chiefs Defense a Stiffer Test for Caleb Hanie

Believe it or not, despite a 4-7 record and four consecutive losses, the Kansas City Chiefs have a better defense than the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders have a stronger pass rush, but the Chiefs have been a bit more stout in limiting points by opposing offenses.

The Chiefs rank 14th against the pass, and 26th against the rush. Both of those rankings are better than Oakland.

Kansas City has also allowed fewer points (albeit barely) this season. In terms of yardage, they rank 20th while Oakland ranks 28th.

The point is, it doesn't really get any easier for the Bears offense.

LB Tamba Hali has recorded seven sacks and has forced two fumbles. KC is tied for eighth with 14 interceptions, led by Brandon Flowers (4).

Bears Offense Has Never Been Better. Seriously.

What, you say? The Bears, who scored 20 points and turned the ball over three times, had their greatest offensive showing of the years last Sunday?

Well, actually, that is true, at least if you go by total yards.

The Bears offense racked up 401 yards of total offense, their best showing of the year.

They had 172 yards rushing, despite only 12 carries by Matt Forte. If the Bears give him the rock a few more times, and Marion Barber continues his downhill running, they will be able to chew up the clock.

Whether that translates into points depends on how many mistakes they make.

Against Oakland, the two teams were virtually identical. They each had 27 rushing attempts. Oakland threw the ball 37 times, the Bears had 36.

Time of possession was only four seconds apart. The Bears had 18 first downs, Oakland had 17. And so on.

Take away those interceptions and the offenses were equal. This week, if they limit those mistakes, that should be enough to beat a Chiefs team that has trouble scoring.

Chiefs Have Reached the End Zone Just Once in November

The Bears defense certainly shouldn't let their guard down, but on paper, they appear to have an easier challenge facing them at home against a Chiefs team that can't score.

They have lost four games in a row and have just one touchdown since beating San Diego in overtime on October 31. 

But if they start Orton, and he doesn't throw all the interceptions that Pelko has been throwing, the Chiefs will be better off.

Kansas City has averaged just over six points per game during their losing streak. Only Jacksonville has averaged fewer points per game on the season.

They do rank 10th in the league in rushing, however, just one spot behind the Bears.

Their leading rusher, Jackie Battle, has struggled over his last two games. Ex-Bears RB Thomas Jones has struggled all season. So even their running game is not going well lately.