The Bears finished their first preseason under head coach Ben Johnson with a 2-0-1 record, capping it off with a 29-27 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City on Friday.
Johnson played his starting offense for the entirety of the first half, capping a rocky half off with an efficient touchdown against the second-team defense. It was a slow start against the Chiefs’ starters on both sides of the ball, which is to be expected when you go against a perennial Super Bowl contender. However, the backups picked
things up significantly to take the lead back with just two seconds left in the fourth quarter.
With the 2025 preseason now in the books, the Bears have decisions to make regarding which players will make their 53-man roster, and which players they’ll test their luck by sending to waivers. Here are some of the key takeaways from Chicago’s final preseason game of the year.
Advantage: Chiefs starters
The Bears played their starters the most that they had all preseason, keeping the starting groups in for the entire first half, as previously mentioned. Kansas City got off to a 17-0 start in the second quarter, outclassing the Bears on both sides of the ball.
Part of those struggles came down to the Bears’ offense being unable to put consecutive strong drives together. The offensive line proved to be inconsistent in pass protection, the receivers didn’t get open on a regular basis, and Caleb Williams made some questionable decisions. His throws weren’t entirely errant, outside of the double-covered in route to Rome Odunze in the end zone that fell incomplete. But some instances saw him hold onto the ball too long, which was an issue for him as a rookie, as well.
Defensively, things weren’t much better. I’ll get to the pass rush, but the secondary also struggled when the starting unit was out there. Granted, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon were both out for the game, but seeing Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright – two players competing for a starting cornerback spot – both get burnt in coverage was worrisome.
Where is the pass rush?
When the Bears’ starting defense was out, they had one quarterback hit and no sacks. Upon first review, the expensive edge-rushing duo of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo struggled to put pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Heading to the All-22 tape in a few days will surely confirm that Mahomes had all day to work with in the pocket.
The three drives that the Chiefs had their starting offense in the game, they scored every single time: two touchdowns and a field goal. Even if there were a couple starters missing, that’s still an unacceptable performance from the starting unit.
D’Andre Swift shows encouraging flashes
On a brighter note, D’Andre Swift put together a solid outing on Friday. His 4.0 yards per carry average won’t light the world on fire, but the offensive line showed better push than last year’s unit, and Swift was able to pick up some solid gains. Even coming off of a down year in 2024, he’s in good position to remain the primary starter in 2025. With a new coaching staff and an improved offensive line, he could make some noise.
Kicking game woes
Cairo Santos was uncharacteristically inaccurate against the Chiefs, going 1-for-2 on his field goal attempts and having one of his two extra point attempts blocked. The extra point can be chalked up to Kansas City outclassing the Bears on special teams in the trenches, but Santos’ doinked field goal from 47 yards out on the left hashmark wasn’t all that encouraging. He’s been accurate in the regular season when it counts, but you know he wishes he was able to hit that field goal.
New money, same Bagent
As Caleb Williams’ touchdown drive belongs with an asterisk, so too should Tyson Bagent’s performance against the Chiefs’ backup defense. However, he did put together a strong outing against those backups, throwing three touchdown passes with no interceptions to help keep the Bears back in the game and eventually take the lead back from an 18-point deficit.
Fresh off his two-year contract extension, Bagent looked like his typical preseason self. He showed poise going through his progressions with the ability to look past his first read and find the open man. That’s exactly what you like to see out of a backup quarterback: someone who can manage a game and move the ball down the field slowly but surely. He was on form against the Chiefs today.
