KC Chiefs Reminded the NFL of What They’re Capable of in Week 3 Win Over Chicago Bears

Taking care of business against an inferior opponent, Kansas City flexed its muscles for the entire NFL world to see on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 3's matchup against the Chicago Bears as a 12.5-point favorite over the visiting team. The final margin of victory ended up being 31 points, which was tied for the Chiefs' fourth-widest since Patrick Mahomes took over as the club's starting quarterback. 

Those other blowout outings? Week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 (39 points), Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 (35), Week 17 versus the Raiders in 2018 (31) and another Raiders outing in 2019 (31). By just about every measurable metric, and even by the eye test, it was a dominant win for Kansas City.

After a couple of less-than-stellar performances to start the 2023 season, it also served as a reminder of what the league's reigning Super Bowl champs are capable of doing.

Sep 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) after a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Taking a 34-0 lead into the halftime break, Kansas City was nothing short of brilliant against Justin Fields and the Bears. Mahomes completed 20 passes in the first two frames, good for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Second-year running back Isiah Pacheco averaged five yards per carry. Eleven different players were targeted in the passing game, with nine of them hauling in at least one pass. The Chiefs punted only one time. Just for good measure, Mahomes added 51 yards and another touchdown in the third quarter before being pulled for the rest of the game. 

The hosts effectively took a preseason approach down the stretch, taking their foot completely off the gas and prioritizing rest over expanding an already insurmountable advantage. Despite that, Andy Reid's offense improved many of its rankings compared to the rest of the league. Here's a list of a few, with rankings from Sunday morning versus the end of play on Sunday night:

• Points per game: 18.5 (T-22nd) to 26.0 (10th)
• Points per play: .294 (24th) to .388 (10th)
• Yards per game: 357.5 (9th) to 390.3 (6th)
• First downs per game: 18.0 (T-23rd) to 22.3 (8th)
• Yards per pass attempt: 6.6 (T-17th) to 7.1 (T-11th)

It wasn't just the Chiefs' offense that flexed its collective muscles in Week 3, either. The Bears' attack got shut out through three quarters, closing with a measly 10-point effort once it was all said and done and garbage time kicked in. In the first half of play, Fields completed just four passes and had a passer rating of 12.5. As a team, the Bears notched four first downs while going 1-for-5 on third down and failing to reach 100 net yards. Chicago was more effective on the ground than through the air, which was a moot point due to the deficit the team faced.

Three games into the season, Steve Spagnuolo's defense has been quite literally one of the NFL's very best. In the past, the Chiefs' defense has been known for starting slow and improving to a near-average unit in time for the postseason. That learning curve hasn't existed yet this year, as Kansas City has managed to get more resistant to the opposition with each passing week. Here are the same rankings from before and after Sunday's play, just flipped to the defensive side of the ball:

• Points per game: 15.0 (4th) to 13.3 (4th)
• Points per play: .224 (2nd) to .216 (2nd)
• Yards per game: 319.5 (13th) to 280.7 (7th)
• First downs per game: 18.5 (T-12th) to 16.0 (T-4th)
• Yards per pass attempt: 5.8 (9th) to 5.4 (T-7th) 

To top it all off, the Chiefs went from averaging 59.5 penalty yards per game (21st in the league) to 44.7 (9th) with a three-flag effort against Chicago. Considering that two of the infractions were questionable in the eyes of the home team, that figure very well could have been even lower in an all-things-ideal world. Take your pick of a statistic or even a qualitative benchmark, and the odds are that Kansas City succeeded by that standard in Week 3.

Of course, a dominant win over a lowly Bears club isn't going to make or break the Chiefs' season. It may not matter a ton in the grand scheme of things, sure. With that said, the NFL hasn't seen this story a lot lately. In the past couple of years, Reid's team built a reputation for letting subpar opponents hang around in games more than they should have. This was a thorough shellacking, and one that sent a message. 

As we get closer and closer to being a month into the new season, the Chiefs are playing inspired football already. The biggest issue from Kansas City's Sunday win is that it may have peaked too early considering there are 14 more games left to play. Something tells me that the franchise will sleep well at night knowing that's the case.

Read More: Four Takeaways From the Chiefs' 41-10 Win Over the Bears