The teacher and the pupil get together when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Chicago Bears in Week 3 of the preseason. The Bears plucked Matt Nagy off Andy Reid’s coaching staff to become their head man and transform an offense that was the most boring in the league under John Fox. Nagy put together a top-5 offense last season as Reid’s offensive coordinator and got his start in the NFL coaching ranks under Reid in 2011.
This preseason Week 3 matchup will take place on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field. The game will air live on NFL Network.
NFL Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Kansas City Chiefs +2
Chicago Bears -2
Over/Under 47.5
Odds Analysis
It’s been a long summer for the Bears, who finally play a home game after the first three on the road. They opened as a 2-point favorite against one of the best preseason Week 3 coaches. Andy Reid has a losing tune-up game record, but he’s well over .500 in the dress rehearsal, meaning he takes this one seriously. The total of 47.5 is the highest for Saturday’s games.
Quarterback Rotation
Not only are the coaches linked, so are the starting quarterbacks. Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes were the first two signal-callers taken in the 2017 draft. Trubisky was taken with the second overall pick while Mahomes went at No. 10.
Mahomes had the highlight of the preseason with his 69-yard scoring pass to Tyreek Hill in last week’s win over Atlanta, but Reid was more impressed with the short and intermediate passes his QB made. Mahomes called it quits after the first half going 8 of 12 for 138 yards and the touchdown, however his performance was up-and-down. He threw one interception and had another dropped in the end zone, allowing the Chiefs to salvage a field goal from the drive. Chad Henne and Matt McGloin split second half reps and the rotation will be similar on Saturday.
Bouncing back from a rough debut, Trubisky threw his first scoring pass of the preseason and completed 9 of 14 for 90 yards playing into the second quarter while he continues to grasp Nagy’s offense. Trubisky has completed better than 61 percent of his passes, but he’s averaging only 5.2 yards per attempt.
Backup Chase Daniel had the best night of anyone, capping Chicago’s comeback with a pair of scoring passes in the final five minutes for Nagy’s first victory. Daniel finished an 80-yard drive with a short scoring pass and after the defense forced a three-and-out, he moved the team 54-yards for the game-winning score. He was 19 of 28 with 189 yards and no picks.
Coaching History
There won’t be any surprises with both coaches very familiar with each other. After watching film of the Bears offense, Reid said it was like looking in a mirror, which only makes sense since he taught the offense to Nagy. It’s well known that Reid isn’t a big fan of the exhibition games and his record is evidence of that. His teams are 37-41 in tune-up games. But when it comes to the dress rehearsal, things change. Reid owns a 12-7 record during Week 3 of the preseason.
Nagy picked up his first victory last week, winning outright as 3-point dogs. The Bears improved to 2-1 ATS and will play in front of the home fans for the first time this postseason.
Free ATS Pick
With both coaching staffs quite familiar with the other team’s offensive scheme, it’s hard to see this one going over the total. But even though you have a good idea of what’s coming, it’s tough to defend given the play makers on each side. And you know there’s going to be a little battle between the QBs, who were the first two taken in the 2017 draft.
The Chiefs tried to solve their secondary issues by inking Orlando Scandrick this week, a move necessitated by injuries to starters Steven Nelson and Eric Berry, along with inconsistent play from David Amerson. If those problems persist, look for the Bears to take some shots with Trubisky. There’s also a good chance we see Bears’ top pick Roquan Smith make his debut, and he’s a game-changer on defense. Still, the unit has been shaky and there is no Leonard Floyd after the edge rusher had his hand operated on this week. Playing at home for the first time will lift the Bears to a cover victory with the score falling below the total.
NFL Betting Odds: Bears 24, Chiefs 21
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