A pair of defeated teams looking to score their first win of the exhibition season will cross paths Week 3 Saturday afternoon in the Windy City. Kansas City will once again look to get its offense going with it a must the unit produces more in the regular season with the defense suffering from a multitude of nagging injuries at every level. It won’t be easy however against a Chicago squad that looked much better at New England in Week 2 than it did in its home debut against the Broncos.
Week 3 of the preseason schedule kicks off early for both the Chiefs and Bears from Soldier Field on Saturday, August 27, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET.
Odds Analysis
The Chiefs have failed to deliver each of the first two weeks of the regular season falling 17-16 as 3.5 point home chalk in Week 1 against Seattle, and then 21-20 as two point road favorites at Los Angeles last week. After winning all four of their exhibitions last season, it certainly comes as a disappointment.
Chicago looked completely lost in a 22-0 home loss to the defending champion Broncos in its Week 1 opener. Coach John Fox’s squad did however put a better foot forward in last week’s loss and cover in New England.
With KC falling by a single point in both of its games and the Bears needing a last second touchdown to cover and still fall by a point last week, it’s likely the visitors are installed negligible chalk in this dress rehearsal for the regular season.
Quarterback Rotation
Alex Smith was efficient in his 2016 debut completing 3 of 4 passes for 36 yards, but was sensational last week against the Rams in racking up 137 yards on a 9 of 12 showing with a 20 yard touchdown strike to Jeremy Maclin. He already built a rapport with Maclin last season, but looks to be building another with second year receiver Chris Conley who reeled in all three of his targets for 66 yards with a long of 37.
Coach Andy Reid has already stated he’ll go deep into this one as he attempts to build even more confidence within the offense. Backup Nick Foles will likely get the mop up duty.
Chicago kept New England’s defense on its heels when it was showcased in the first half of last week’s promising defeat. Jay Cutler completed 8 of his 12 passes for 83 yards while No. 1 wide receiver Alshon Jeffery hauled in two of those completions for 41 yards.
Cutler will get a bulk of the reps in this one as the offense looks to build off a solid showing against the Patriots versus a Kansas City defense missing a number of its playmakers. Brian Hoyer will likely close it out as he looks to turn the page on a very poor effort that saw him get picked off and complete less than 30 percent of his passes.
Coaching History
John Fox currently sits four games over .500 throughout his career in the preseason, while Andy Reid owns a sub .500 record at 32-37. Fox led the Bears to a 3-1 preseason record a season ago, but the lone defeat occurred in the Week 3 dress rehearsal. The Chiefs are an even 7-7 in the exhibition season with Reid at the helm and stand 3-4 SU and ATS when on the road.
Quick Pick
This one all boils down to which team wants it more. Kansas city knows it has a solid team. It went to the playoffs a year ago and more or less added to the roster that got them there. Wins in the preseason mean absolutely nothing to them at this point.
Chicago on the other hand was blanked the last time it took the field in front of the hometown faithful, and after putting forth a much better effort last week, it’ll likely want to calm its rabid fan base down with another solid showing – this time at home.
The Bears haven’t lost both preseason home games since the 2010-11 season. I don’t foresee that trend getting snapped here today with Kansas City looking to get its offense going and see what it has in terms of depth, while Chicago looks to shut its naysayers up – at least for now.
NFL Odds: Bears 17, Chiefs 14
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