RECAP: Bears Show Resiliency as Tyson Bagent Leads Electric Comeback Victory Over KC Chiefs, 29-27
The Bears finished their preseason with a game against the almighty Kansas City Chiefs, and it was a storybook ending for Chicago.
While the starters struggled to get going, Tyson Bagent led the backups to a miraculous comeback to defeat the Chiefs in a 29-27 victory.
Even though it’s just the preseason and the win doesn’t count, the game still mattered to the fans and to the players.
It was exciting, and it gives the Bears some momentum heading into the regular season.
Rough Start, Strong Finish
Caleb Williams and the Bears’ starters began the game against Kansas City. Following their dominant performance over Buffalo, the story wasn’t the same in last night’s game. Their first drive started with a fumble on an end-around to Zaccheaus. Then they followed that up with a six-play drive, which ended when Caleb Williams took a brutal sack. The protection was strong, but Williams held on way too long, a common problem from his rookie season.
After a rough start from the first-team offense, the Chicago Bears of the past would’ve continued to struggle. But not Ben Johnson’s Bears. They turned it around with a 12-play drive, ending with a field goal. Williams was much better as he completed passes to Rome Odunze and Zaccheaus, and D’Andre Swift ripped off a few good runs. Most fans thought that would be the last we’d see of Caleb Williams, but when the offense rushed back onto the field, it was Williams and the starters. It was easily their best drive of the night as they executed a two-minute drill to perfection.
Williams was absolute nails. He completed multiple passes to running back Brittain Brown and a couple of strikes to Rome Odunze. One was a 37-yard corner route where Odunze was wide open.
The other was a touchdown pass where Williams dropped back and fired a missile to Odunze, who was sitting in zone coverage.
As a fan, this drive was a relief. The Bears can never execute a two-minute drill, let alone when they’ve been struggling all game. But Caleb Williams and the starters came out and delivered a touchdown drive.
For context, this drive was against the Chiefs’ backups, but it was still impressive to see the Bears put together a clean touchdown drive before the half.
First Team Concerns
This article will mainly be positive because the vibes in Chicago are too high to bring down right now, but I’d be lying if I didn’t leave that game with some major concerns.
The Pass Rush Needs Some Improvement
We are entering year four under Ryan Poles, and the Bears still can’t get to the quarterback. Since 2022, when the Bears hired Poles, they’ve finished 32nd, 31st, and 16th in sacks. I was hoping the addition of defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo would help, but last night was not a good sign. Patrick Mahomes’ average time to throw was 3.64 seconds, which is absurd. That’s way too much time for the DBs to hold up in coverage. Mahomes was carving up the Bears’ defense, and the lackluster pass rush was the main problem. There are still some free agents, such as Za’Darius Smith, Jadeveon Clowney, or Preston Smi, whom the Bears could pick up before the season.
I’m worried that the pass rush will be Chicago’s biggest weakness next season, and Friday’s game didn’t make me feel any better about it.
Talent Disparity
After their slow start, the Bears’ first-team offense did turn it around and compiled back-to-back scoring drives. But for the majority of their reps against the Chiefs starters, they struggled. The Chiefs are a Super Bowl-caliber team. I mean, they’ve reached five out of the last six Super Bowls, for goodness’ sake, so obviously they’re great. And the talent disparity between their starters and the Bears was apparent. The Bears are much improved from last year’s team, both talent-wise and coaching, but they still have a long way to go to reach Kansas City’s level.
Cornerback Depth
If anyone ever forgot how important Jaylon Johnson is to this team, they were reminded on Friday. Even though the Bears’ pass-rush was subpar to say the least, the Bears’ corners got torched, specifically training camp standout Nahshon Wright. There were multiple occasions where he got beaten over the top. His speed is just not good enough to keep up with receivers who can stretch the field. Tyrique Stevenson was beaten on a touchdown catch by Rashee Rice, where Rice used his physicality to win on a fade route.
With injuries to Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Terrell Smith, I’m a little concerned. Johnson and Gordon should be back for week one, but Smith is out for the season. I hope once those guys come back, everything will be back to normal, but things aren’t looking bright right now.
The Tyson Bagent Story Gets Even Better
TYSON BAGENT. The kid from a Division II university called Shepherd, whom the Bears signed as an undrafted free agent. He earned the backup quarterback position as a rookie. The guy who, in his rookie season, had to start four games when Justin Fields got injured, and went 2-2, leading the Bears to victories over the Raiders and Panthers. The guy who has kept that backup position all three years he’s been in the league.
Bagent has been a complete professional in Chicago. He’s not the most talented guy from a physical standpoint, but he’s as “smart as a whip,” as Ben Johnson would say. He shows up day in and day out and gets the job done. I think Bagent is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the entire league, and he deserves a chance to start someday. Ben Johnson agrees. When asked if Bagent could be a starter, Johnson said, “I don’t think there is any doubt about it. I’ve really been blown away by his approach…” But for the next two years, Bagent won’t get that opportunity elsewhere. The Bears recently signed Bagent to a 2-year, $10 million contract extension.
He deserves every cent. Bagent’s been a bright spot for the Bears, and he earned that contract extension. When he was interviewed about the new deal, he couldn’t hold back his emotions. Bagent explained that his dad is his “right-hand man” and that he didn’t even have running water until he was in high school. He later commented that this is weight lifted off his family’s shoulders and that he’ll be able to help out a lot of people back home.
As a fan, I couldn’t help but love everything about it. His raw emotions and care for others shows how great of a person he is.
Tyson Bagent entered the game against KC in the second half when the Bears were already down 10. Then, after a Chiefs touchdown, the Bears trailed 27-10, and winning the game felt impossible. But Bagent was incredible. He led three touchdown drives, including the one to win the game. The Bears got the ball with about a minute and a half to go in the 4th quarter, with no timeouts remaining. Knowing the typical Chicago Bears, I was not hopeful. Bagent completed a 16-yard pass to rookie Jahdae Walker to get the drive started.
Then he hit tight end Joel Wilson for 10 more yards, and he quickly got out of bounds. Bagent went right back to Wilson for another first down, spiking the ball with 31 seconds remaining. He found Scott two plays later to put the Bears at the 22-yard line. After two more completions, which went to Scott and Miles Boykin, the Bears were at the six-yard line with just seven seconds to go.
Bagent dropped back, looked to the right, and fired a go ball to Jahdae Walker, who hauled in the game-winning TD.
Bagent finished the game 20-28 with 212 passing yards and three touchdowns.
What a comeback win for the Bears, and what an insane performance from Tyson Bagent to show the world who he is.
Jahdae Walker Submits Himself as This Year’s Training Camp Darling
Every year, there’s a Bear who comes out of nowhere and grabs the heart of the fan base. This year, that player is Texas A&M UDFA receiver Jahdae Walker. Walker drew some attention throughout training camp, making some big plays in practice. But it wasn’t until the first preseason game against the Dolphins that his name started picking up steam.
In that game against Miami, Walker had three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a beautiful catch where Walker tracked the ball perfectly into his arms. His celebration also turned some heads.
The “slick back” is something Walker’s done since his days at A&M, and fans were loving it.
Then, against the Bills, he had a quiet performance with just two catches for 20 yards, but I think he was saving the best for last. In Friday’s game against Kansas City, Walker didn’t see the field a ton, but when he got his opportunity, he shone. On the final drive, Walker caught three passes for 37 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
One catch in particular was absolutely absurd. Bagent threw the ball to the right sideline, where Walker went airborne, and with his outstretched arms, hauled in the pass while keeping both feet in bounds. It was very reminiscent of Julio Jones’ catch in the Falcons vs. Patriots Super Bowl.
Just another play that shows off Walker’s talent.
The only problem is… these camp darlings never end up making the team. If the Bears keep six wide receivers, then he’ll have a chance. They’ll keep Moore, Odunze, Zaccheaus, Burden, and probably Duvernay for special teams, and then the final spot would be up for grabs. I’d say it’s between Tyler Scott and Walker.
They could bring him back to the practice squad, but I think another team would snatch him up. While I do love me some Tyler Scott, I really hope we get to see the “slick back” celebration in the regular season.
It’s Just The Preseason – So What Really Matters?
Besides the fact that this game provided so much entertainment and brought a new level of excitement for Bears fans, there were several things we can take away from this game.
Ben Johnson’s Bears Are Different
The Bears have had the same old issues year after year, and a lot of them have been because of incompetent coaching. Whether it’s clock management, the team culture, in-game adjustments, or play-calling, the Bears have struggled. These issues have yet to appear under Ben Johnson. I know it’s still early, but we can still look at what he’s done so far.
He’s been perfect at managing his timeouts. There hasn’t been a single game through three games where I’ve questioned his clock management. Sometimes I even forget that it could be an issue because he handles it so well. On Friday night, the Bears executed a perfect two-minute drill before the half, and ended the game with a TD drive where they had no timeouts at all. He understands the game so well and just knows what to do. It sounds simple, but we aren’t used to that in Chicago.
Also against KC, the Bears came out flat. At halftime, Johnson adjusted, and points became a hot commodity. The play-calling has also looked great. Players are more open than they have been in years past, and the plays make sense.
Final Roster Spots
The Bears currently have 90 players on their roster. Yes, 90. By August 26, they’ll have to cut that number down to 53. That means players are going to get cut. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the harsh truth in the NFL.
The players towards the bottom of the roster don’t get a ton of reps in practice, so the preseason is a big part of their job interview. Players like Jahdae Walker and Tyler Scott are battling for the final wide receiver spot, which might not even be available. Running back Brittain Brown looked good and is fighting for a spot in a deep running back room. Daniel Hardy came up with a strip sack and might’ve moved his name up the depth chart. Those players literally fight for their jobs in the preseason, and it’s so amazing to watch.
The Chicago Bears concluded their preseason with a storybook ending, beating the Chiefs 29-27. Even though the first team had a rough start, they overcame their struggles and delivered two scoring drives.
Tyson Bagent balled out and led the comeback with three touchdown passes, including a game-winner to camp darling Jahdae Walker.
This game was exhilarating for us fans and gave the players some extra momentum heading into the regular season.
Next stop, Monday Night Football vs. the Vikings.
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
