Bears vs. Chiefs prediction, pick, odds for Thursday’s NFL preseason Week 3 game

John LanFranca's Bears vs. Chiefs Preview

Chicago is going to be a team to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the football. It finished off the 2023 regular season impressively and continues to showcase its depth and aggressive nature this preseason. Cincinnati mustered only 3.8 yards per play against the Bears a week ago, while Buffalo gained only 200 total yards on 65 plays (3.1 average). The Bengals and Bills combined to reach the red zone only twice against this stout Bears defense.

Even without their top pass rushers on the field, the Bears defense has generated nine sacks after the first quarter of their first three preseason games. The Hall of Fame game with the Texans was cut short due to weather so that production has come in about seven quarters.

This matchup with the Chiefs' reserve offensive line is ripe for the picking, as well. Kansas City has allowed eight sacks over its two games, often forcing the backups of the Chiefs to play behind the sticks, converting only 6-of-27 third downs (22%). The Bears' defense should once again be in a position to deliver a strong performance.

Offensively, all of Chicago's quarterbacks have flashed this preseason. Tyson Bagent has been efficient, completing 73% of his passes at 7.9 yards per attempt while throwing for two scores.

Austin Reed and Brett Rypien continue their battle for who will be the third man in this quarterback room heading into the season. Rypien and Reed have combined to execute nine explosive passing plays of 15 or more yards. In total, even with Williams only playing a handful of series so far in the preseason, this offense has averaged 6.6 yards per play.

It's also worth noting that in Week 3 of last year's preseason, Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo opted to rest defensive starters, instead giving playing time to younger players and roster newcomers. Kansas City surrendered 32 points in that game.

Bears vs. Chiefs Start Time, Channel, Location

Bears vs. Chiefs will be broadcast live on NFL Network. Bears-Chiefs is scheduled to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET on Thursday night at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

My Bears vs. Chiefs Prediction

Carson Wentz should see some action in the early going for Kansas City, but I don’t think that will be enough to sway the outcome of this game. The Bears have been the most dominant team in the league during the second half of games this preseason, and it’s clear they have advantages on both sides of the ball the further teams have to go down their depth chart.

Back the Bears here to close out their August schedule 4-0.

I'd play this down to -1.

Pick: Bears -1.5