Chiefs Vs Bears: Key Personnel Matchups

In a few days, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium. It will be the second-consecutive NFC team to come to Kansas City to open the Chiefs’ 2023 home schedule. This is a game where the Chiefs are heavily favored. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Kansas City is currently a 12.5-point favorite over Chicago.

The Bears had some higher expectations by some people this year. While that was not shared by all, Chicago has had one of the more disappointing openings to the 2023 campaign of all NFL teams. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams just abruptly resigned yesterday. Justin Fields is still having immense struggles at quarterback. His comments about those and the coaching staff has led to early distress within the Bears’ facility, at least on the surface.

Nevertheless, the Bears and the Chiefs will still do battle on the field this Sunday. What are the most intriguing personnel matchups to watch for entering Sunday afternoon? We will list three key personnel matchups to monitor in today’s article. Let’s kick it off.

Cole Kmet Vs Chiefs Secondary

While Fields has been erratic with items like ball placement and accuracy, he has seemingly found Cole Kmet to be a target he heavily trusts. The Notre Dame product was a bit of a late bloomer at the NFL level. But in just the last couple of years, Kmet has begun to make more contested catches and add additional yards after the catch. He was also the standard-bearer on a largely disjointed Chicago offense last season. In 2022, Kmet led the Bears in targets (69), receptions (50), receiving yards (544) and receiving touchdowns (seven).

It will be interesting to see who Kansas City looks to rely on against Kmet. Safeties Justin Reid and Bryan Cook may be tasked with manning up with him one-on-one. When it comes to Reid, he is used to matching up with bigger-bodied pass catchers throughout the course of his career. With his mix of range and hitting power, Reid could quickly erase any opportunities for Kmet down the field. That is especially true, if Fields remains being hesitant when it comes to testing opponents vertically, down the middle of the field.

Travis Kelce Vs Bears Back Seven

From one tight end to another tight end. Travis Kelce made his 2023 regular season debut last week in Jacksonville after missing Week 1 with a knee injury. By no means, was this a dominant showing for Kelce, as we know he is capable of. Each of his catches involved some impressive moments, however. Kelce found the soft spot in between zones to haul in his first touchdown of the year. And on a bit of a broken play, Patrick Mahomes flipped a quick pass to him underneath. Afterwards, Kelce made a few defenders miss, creating a bit of breathing room in Kansas City’s own end.

The Bears are already going to have their hands full with Kelce, just based on the tight end’s skills alone. Yet, there is really no true game changer that can be relied upon to cover Kelce one-on-one. Veteran safety Eddie Jackson is dealing with a foot injury and did not practice on Wednesday. Beyond that, the Bears are littered with plenty of youth in the secondary. Safeties like Jaquan Brisker and Quindell Johnson are a second-year player and a rookie, respectively. And at linebacker, names like Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards are known more for their run defense than their coverage ability. It could be a plethora of different looks that Chicago throws at Kelce. Could the Chiefs tight end be in store for a huge day?

Herbert And Johnson Vs Chiefs Front Seven

The Chicago Bears have had offensive line questions for quite a while now. Unfortunately, left tackle Braxton Jones was placed on the injured reserve list yesterday with a neck injury, knocking him out of this week’s matchup. Chicago is at least more respectable on the interior offensive line, when factoring in Jones’ absence. This makes for a fascinating matchup between the Bears interior offensive line and the Chiefs defensive tackle group. That is especially true, given the strength of Chicago’s running game.

The duo of Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson have each had early flashes this season. Herbert has proven to be a difficult runner to bring down. His hard-nosed style and patience are a unique weapon within the Bears’ offensive attack. Meanwhile, Johnson can also break tackles and gain hidden yards in condensed areas.

Of course, the Chiefs front seven will also have to be prepared for Fields to take off and utilize his speed. Chicago has thrown the ball the fewest amount of times on average over the last couple of years. Therefore, Kansas City must be prepared to corral the rushing attack of the Bears. The Chiefs have had a decent start when defending the run so far this season. Though, there is still room for improvement. When it comes to disengaging from blocks and filling gaps, Kansas City could still make strides in that area. These Bears runners will be a fun test.