Chiefs Offense: Performance Vs Bears Sign Of Things To Come? -

Embed from Getty Images
The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 2-1 on Sunday with a victory over the Chicago Bears. Through the first two games, Kansas City’s defense had been stellar. They certainly carried that over to Week 3, with a dominant showing over Chicago. However, the Chiefs offense was still looking to find a groove after the first two contests.

Granted, the Bears may not pose the most challenging threat for many opponents. Though, it is truly any given Sunday in the NFL, of course. From the jump, Patrick Mahomes and his offensive teammates were in firm control. We saw them get back to using pace with their attack. Elsewhere, the Chiefs offense even got a key member of the ground game going.

We know that Kansas City is a major offensive threat on an annual basis with someone like Mahomes as their signal caller. Yet, this is still a new set of skill players looking to gel together. The same could also be said about the new duo at offensive tackle. All told, is Sunday’s performance against the Bears a sign of things to come? Let’s kick it off.

Working Quickly

After having some up-and-down results in the passing game the first two weeks, the tempo in that area was much improved. Kansas City receivers did a better job of finding the soft spots in zones. The Chiefs offense did not just do this more urgently and quickly. By not running to spots like they did the first two weeks, this group was able to create more explosive plays. That was true, despite not always testing the Bears defense in the deeper portions of the field.

Names like Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore both worked smoothly in the middle of the field or laterally on their routes. For Rice, the drops are still an area that needs to be ironed out further. He came close to a touchdown on two different occasions, though. Both times, Rice did well to sit, find the ball quickly and immediately turn up the field. Elsewhere, Moore has been much more under control than he was on opening night. You can visually see the growth in his game as a route runner, especially when it comes to recognizing and winning leverage. If those two and the other Kansas City receivers can continue to work with that pace and those instincts, the Chiefs offense could fully reach their potential as a passing unit.

Ep 161: Lions Dissapoint; NFL MVP; Week 12 Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 12:12 am

MORE PODCASTS From FPC

Running Game Gets In A Groove

Embed from Getty Images
One area that really made a major impression on Sunday, was the running game. The Chiefs offense finished the game with 153 rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry. Obviously, Isiah Pacheco led the way with a commanding performance. He simply wore down the Chicago defense with his mix of quickness and power. All in all, his vision is an area that does not get talked about much. Pacheco did well to make swift cuts or necessary bounces towards the outside perimeter, however. The Bears simply could not bring him down on first contact very often.

On the other hand, Clyde Edwards-Helaire even had an impressive day. It was not a dominant showing, by any means. But still, Edwards-Helaire made good use of the extra opportunities that he received in the ground game. The Chiefs offense saw him make improved decisions on when to cut it back. He also did a better job of just running forward, rather than wasting time in space and moving laterally, to boot. Overall, the Chiefs offense wanted to get the run game going. If they perform like that every week, there is almost nothing that they cannot try to open up the entire offensive playbook.

Kansas City Strings More Drives Together

Once again, you can say that it was the lowly Chicago Bears and their struggling defense all you want. The Chiefs offense was much more in sync throughout Sunday’s game, nonetheless. The efficiency was there much more often. And in the end, it led to Kansas City staying in rhythm and stringing together more drives consecutively.

Even though there were a few offensive penalties, some of which were questionable at best, the Chiefs offense generally stayed ahead of the sticks. We know that this offense is one of the few that can have success on third-and-forever. Yet, Kansas City was able to make easier play calls and utilize their entire arsenal of offensive weapons with less daunting down and distances.

Beyond that, the Chiefs offense was incredibly effective in got-to-have-it situations. Kansas City was successful on 10 of 14 third down attempts. They scored a touchdown on all five red zone possessions, rather than settling for any field goals down in the low area. In total, Mahomes was not sacked at all, and was rarely, if ever, pressured by Chicago’s defensive front. When all of these areas are stout for the Chiefs offense, there is little anyone can do to stop them. Can Kansas City carry that over to upcoming weeks after finding their footing?

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.