Posted on August 26, 2018, by Travis Pulver
The Chicago Bears want to make sure Mitchell Trubisky starts the 2018 season as healthy as possible. So, rather than give him a half in Saturday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the second year QB was on the sideline. You would think that would mean good things for the Chiefs defense—but it didn’t.
However, while the Chiefs may have a few red flags raised on the defensive side of the ball, they can rest easy on one thing. Patrick Mahomes can play.
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Matt Nagy decided to give his starters the day off. He had to be pleased that his reserves were able to handle the Chiefs starters as well as they did. Fans were probably more interested in seeing Mahomes and ended up getting a show from Bears backup Chase Daniel as well.
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Mahomes and Daniel were two of the noteworthy performances from Saturday’s game. But they were not the only ones:
- Mahomes did not show off his arm and connect with anyone deep. But he looked good working the ball around the field connecting on 18 of 24 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. Not only did he connect on his first seven passes, but he appeared to recognize what the Bears were trying to do on defense.
“For me, I thought today was a good day as far as taking what was there and at the same time attacking the defense,” Mahomes said after the game.
- Daniel faced about half of the Chiefs starting defense (Eric Berry and four others were injured). But he still looked great against good competition (15-18 for 198 yards and two touchdowns).
“I felt like I was seeing it pretty good out there today,” Daniel said after the game.
- Kevin White scored! When he was taken in the first round a couple of years ago, he was supposed to be the stud No. 2 next to Alshon Jeffrey. When Jeffrey left, they hoped he could be the new No. 1. But injuries kept him off the field for most of his first two seasons. Now, they just wonder if he’s going to be a bust or not. His 29-yard touchdown catch wasn’t exactly a tough one (he couldn’t be more open than he was). But he made it—and that’s a start.
- The Chiefs defense might be in for a long year. If Chase Daniel can lead a team to point on four of five drives, that’s not good. Nothing against Daniel but he’s a career backup for a reason. The KC defense should have been able to manage him.
- Javon Wims had another impressive day with four receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. When the season starts, he’ll have to compete for snaps with White, Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and rookie Anthony Miller. With how his preseason has gone, he’ll get a shot to make plays on Sunday.
- Hopefully, once the offense has Kareem Hunt on the field more, the run game will work. Of the 12 carries Chiefs backs recorded, they only gained 30 yards. Then again, it may be an o-line issue. Mahomes was often having to make plays on the run because his protection was lacking. If that’s the case, a lot of fantasy owners are going to be mad they took Hunt.
- For those who keep score during the preseason, the Bears won 27-20.
The Chiefs will finish out the preseason next week with a visit from the Green Bay Packers. Chicago will close out their preseason with a visit from the Buffalo Bills.