Spagnuolo, Chiefs Expect Bears to Follow This Trend Friday

Starters for both teams, including Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams, will open Friday’s preseason finale at Arrowhead Stadium. How long they play is uncertain, but Steve Spagnuolo said this week he won’t be surprised if Chicago sees the game as more than a final tuneup for the regular season.

Even in the preseason, success against the Chiefs means more than success against other teams, and Kansas City’s defensive coordinator said the Seahawks’ assertiveness last week caught the Chiefs off guard.

“Yeah, I didn’t like the way we played the run,” Spagnuolo said Tuesday. “I’ll tell you what the biggest takeaway was, and I’m going to give Mike Macdonald and his staff up there a lot of credit; it just felt like they came out with the intent to prove to the Kansas City Chiefs, and they did.

“They were coming out of the huddle fast; they were running right at us. I’m just not sure we were ready for that, and shame on us. But I think our guys will be ready to play good football this week.”

Seahawks had five runs of 15-plus yards

Seattle’s intent to prove to both the NFL and themselves they could outplay the defending AFC champion provided a big boost for the Seahawks, who disconcertingly dominated the line of scrimmage.

Seattle racked up 268 yards on the ground in Friday’s 33-16 win over Kansas City. The Chiefs are expecting the same thing from Ben Johnson and the Bears on Friday (7:20 p.m. CT, KSHB 41, 96.5 The Fan).

Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks to pass the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Chicago’s first-team offense also dominated its opponent, Buffalo, last week at Soldier Field. Williams made his preseason debut and impressively led the Bears on a game-opening 92-yard touchdown drive. He effectively used his tight ends throughout the seven-play series and ended with a 38-yard touchdown strike to Olamide Zaccheaus.

Linebacker Leo Chenal said last week’s loss was a wake-up call for the Chiefs’ defense.

“Oh yeah. The whole team felt it,” Chenal said Wednesday. “Coaches, players, all of us are pretty upset with ourselves following that game. The best we can do is remember how we felt after that game and prepare ourselves best as we can here and have some good momentum going forward.”

Unlike last week, Andy Reid is expected to play the four defensive starters who sat out in Seattle: Defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, and cornerback Trent McDuffie.

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