Patrick Mahomes Dominates the Bears

The Bears approached Sunday's game against the world champion Kansas City Chiefs with the valor and effectiveness of an insect heading toward the grill of a semi out on the interstate

Teeth gritted after a week from hell, the Bears steadfastly plowed forward, and then splat.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 272 yards on 24 of 33 with three touchdowns. Travis Kelce caught one of the TDs and six passes for 69 yards with his girlfriend Taylor Swift in attendance, creating more interest than the Bears, who fell for the 13th straight time, 41-10.

"Of course nobody on this team wanted this," Bears quarterback Justin Fields told reporters afterward. "I don't know if I would call it a reality check because I do think the guys every day come in focused to get better. I think we've just got to keep working and just win this next one coming up."

It was the second time they lost 41-10 in four games and worst defeat since losing 38-3 under Matt Nagy at Tampa Bay in 2021. It was also the sixth straight time they've lost by 10 points or more but this time it was Nagy on the winning side as Chiefs offensive coordinator.

Jerrod McKinnon caught 3 and 6-yard TD pases and Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco added rushing TDs for the Chiefs.

Until they took over on a Jack Sanborn interception late in the third quarter, the Bears had been outgained 381 yards to 103, 26 first downs to five and Mahomes was out of the game in favor of Blaine Gabbert.

It would seem the adversity Bears GM Ryan Poles declared at Halas Hall during the week with Alan Williams' resignation as defensive coordinator followed them to Kansas City.

"The guys hung in there tight, they were together, never a dissension or finger-pointing," coach Matt Eberflus insisted. "I didnt feel that it was affecting us at all to be honest iwth you. That locker room was tight and it's going to have to be tight now. There's going to be a lot of outside noise and we gotta do a great job of staying together."

Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson left with injuries and Fields did, as well.

The good news is they get to return home to play Denver next and the Broncos gave up 70 points to Miami on Sunday. Yes, 70.

The Chiefs had 31 first downs to 11 by the Bears, and 456 yards to 203.

Fields finished 11 of 22 for 99 yards with a TD and an interception, three catches and their only TD going to DJ Moore.

"I think we all need to be better, I need to be better," Fields said.

They were down 34-0 by halftime, unable to stop the Chiefs at all and unable to move it themselves against a team that lost on the same field to the Detroit Lions to start the season.

All the Bears points came in fourth quarter, the first three on Cairo Santos' 21-yard field goal. Those points let them avoid a loss as lopsided as the 55-14 defeat in Green Bay under Marc Trestman in 2014.

Moore's 9-yard TD catch slanting in came after Fields had been shaken up on a pass during the drive to Santos' field goal, but he returned.

It didn't matter at at that point, anyway.

"I still would rather be the team that starts off slow and finishes hot than a team that starts off hot and finishes slow," defensive end DeMarcus Walker told reporters, after the Bears went without a sack for the second time in three games.

It was a total beatdown in every way, as they allowed 10-of-14 third-down conversions (71%) and converted only 33% (4 of 12).

"We lost some DBs today, got out of some of our packages," Eberflus said. "So that's what happens when you've lost three corners. But other than that we've just got to execute better."

Again Eberflus turned to the fact they had injuries in preseason and have assembled basically a new team.

"I think it was maybe because of the preseason that we had," Eberflus said. "We had all the injuries. We didn't have a lot of play together. Thats obviously real. We didn't get a chance to play together in terms of the offensive line, in terms of the defensive line, linebacker. There's a bunch of guys that were out.

"I'm not making excuses. We should be farther ahead but we are playing together for the first time, practicing together for the first time. We're going to see it come together."

At least Swift got to leave Arrowhead happy.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven