KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs controlled both sides of the ball in a 41-10 victory over the visiting Bears Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The defending Super Bowl champions cruised to a 34-0 halftime lead, generating four touchdowns and two field goals on six straight possessions following a punt on their first drive of the game. Kansas City tallied 20 points in the final 3:05 of the first half and led 41-0 entering the fourth period.
"Got to take a hard look at this tape, evaluation, and make the corrections that we need to make, and we've got to move forward and keep getting better," said coach Matt Eberflus. "It was a tough game today, and how we respond to that is going to be important for each individual man in the locker room, each individual coach. We've got to make sure we take a look at ourselves and what we can do better and how we can execute and put a better product out there."
In the first half, Kansas City held decisive edges in total yards (312-85) and first downs (22-4) over the Bears, who committed two turnovers and ran just three plays in Chiefs territory. Patrick Mahomes completed 20 of 27 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 28 yards on three carries in the first two quarters.
Mahomes exited the game midway through the third quarter after tossing a 3-yard TD pass to Travis Kelce, making the score 41-0. The two-time NFL MVP completed 24 of 33 passes for 272 yards with three TDs and a 127.3 passer rating.
Justin Fields connected on 11 of 22 passes for 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for a team-high 47 yards on 11 carries.
The Bears did not record a sack for the second straight game but registered their first two takeaways of the season when Jack Sanborn and Quindell Johnson intercepted backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert passes in the second half.
The Chiefs compiled 456 total yards and 31 first downs, converted 10 of 14 third-down opportunities (71.4%) and scored touchdowns on all five of their red-zone possessions.
The Bears, who fell to 0-3, crossed the 50 into Kansas City territory on just one of their first eight possessions, totaling just five first downs.
Check out the on-field action as the Bears take on the Chiefs in Kansas City during Week 3.
The Chiefs took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter as Mahomes tossed a shovel pass to running back Jerick McKinnon for a 6-yard touchdown. Mahomes completed 3 of 4 passes for 51 yards and had an 11-yard scramble on the drive.
The Bears followed by picking up two first downs—including one on Fields' 17-yard scramble—but were forced to punt after Fields was sacked by defensive tackle Chris Jones for an 8-yard loss on third-and-6 from the Kansas City 36.
The Chiefs extended their lead to 14-0 on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire's 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Mahomes connected on 4 of 4 passes for 45 yards on the 11-play, 80-yard drive, including two completions for 21 yards to Kelce and a 14-yarder to receiver Rashee Rice.
Kansas City scored a touchdown on its third straight drive as Mahomes rifled a 1-yard scoring pass to McKinnon, widening the margin to 21-0 with 3:05 left in the half.
After the Chiefs forced and recovered a Khalil Herbert fumble at the Bears' 26, Harrison Butker's 41-yard field goal made it 24-0.
On the Bears' next possession, Fields' pass over the middle was deflected by safety Justin Reid and intercepted by safety Mike Edwards. The Chiefs converted the turnover into Isiah Pacheco's 1-yard TD run, increasing their lead to 31-0.
Butker added a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make it 34-0.
The Chiefs opened the second half by scoring on their seventh straight possession, as Mahomes threw a 3-yard TD pass to Kelce to make it 41-0.
Sanborn's interception then set up Cairo Santos' 21-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, putting the Bears on the board. The Bears then found the end zone with just over four minutes to play as Fields connected with DJ Moore for a 9-yard score.
The Bears will return to Soldier Field next Sunday to host the Broncos, who fell to 0-3 Sunday with a 70-20 loss to the Dolphins in Miami.
Thin secondary: At one point in Sunday's game, the Bears were playing without their top five defensive backs. Kyler Gordon is on injured reserve, Eddie Jackson did not make the trip due to a foot injury, and Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson all exited the contest with injuries, though Brisker returned.
"It was a little bit difficult playing that skill [with a depleted secondary]," Eberflus said. "We lost some DBs today, got out of some or our packages. That's what happens when you lose three corners. But other than that, you've just got to execute better."
On the shelf: In addition to Jackson, other Bears inactives were quarterback Tyson Bagent, receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, running back D'Onta Foreman, safety A.J. Thomas and defensive lineman Daniel Hardy
In the trenches: Ja'Tyre Carter made his second straight start at right guard in place of veteran Nate Davis, who was active but did not play. Davis was questionable after missing Thursday's practice and being limited Friday due to personal reasons.
As expected, Larry Borom started at left tackle in place of Braxton Jones, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury.
