Kansas City Chiefs @ Chicago Bears (12/22/19): Matchup Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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The Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) head to Chicago to take on the Bears (7-7) in a Sunday night matchup. A somewhat surprising move to keep this game in the primetime slot as the Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week. However, it seems like the Pat Mahomes vs Mitch Trubisky, and the Andy Reid vs Matt Nagy comparisons were too good to pass up in a primetime spot. The Chiefs have the AFC West clinched, and looking to jump New England for a first-round bye. Chicago has nothing to play for, except for Trubisky and Nagy, who will want to silence the loud critics and comparisons that have gone on with these two over the last two to three seasons. Click here for more details and betting information on the Chiefs @ Bears matchup.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 22, 2019
Time: 8:20 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Coverage: NBC

Injury Report

Chiefs: DB Rashad Fenton – Hamstring (Q), RB Damien Williams – Ribs (Q), CB Morris Claiborne – Shoulder (Q), DE Alex Okafor – Pectoral (IR), G Andrew Wylie – Ankle (Q)
Bears: WR Taylor Gabriel – Concussion (Q), T Bobby Massie – Ankle (Q), DE Roy Robertson-Harris – Foot (Q), ILB Danny Trevathan – Elbow (Q)

Chiefs Analysis

Kansas City has been on fire over the last month winning their last four games. They beat all three divisional opponents, and New England, who they now have a tiebreaker over for a first-round bye. Overall, their offense ranks third in DVOA, according to Football Outsiders, and averaging 373 yards per game since Mahomes has come back from injury. Also, they still have been winning games despite Mahomes not playing his best since coming back from his knee injury. In his first six games this season, Mahomes’ QB rating sits at 111.9. In his last five games since injury, his QB rating is 97.3. Now, Mahomes is still an elite talent, and will still be a big reason for their offensive success this Sunday night. However, if Mahomes is still feeling the affects from his knee injury, then this could cause problems against a good Bears defense.

The Chiefs defense has had a nice turn around during their four game winning streak. Kansas City’s defense ranks 11th in DVOA, and have held teams to 11.3 points per game over their last four. Now, the Chiefs defense has improved as the season has moved along, but there are still holes to it. Despite their impressive four game winning streak, they were out-gained in yardage in two of those wins. However, they did hold the Patriots and Broncos to under 300 yards of offense over the last two weeks, which is impressive. Their run defense is still horrible as they allow teams to average five yards per carry on the ground. They did hold their last two opponents to less than 100 yards, and have a chance to do so again against a Chicago offense that has abandoned the run multiple times this year.

Chiefs Depth Chart

QB1: Patrick Mahomes
RB1: LeSean McCoy
RB2: Darwin Thompson
WR1: Tyreek Hill
WR2: Sammy Watkins
WR3: Mecole Hardman
TE1: Travis Kelce

Bears Analysis

Chicago’s Sunday night matchup against the Chiefs will some meaning for Matt Nagy and Mitch Turbisky. Nagy was the offensive coordinator under Andy Reid before taking the job in Chicago, and Trubisky has been compared to Mahomes and Deshaun Watson since all three were selected in the first-round of the 2017 NFL Draft. If possible, Nagy and Trubisky will want to show America what their capabilities in the NFL are. However, the Bears offensive numbers have not shown that there is much promise from this season. Their offense ranks 23rd in DVOA, and rank 26th in scoring offense (18.3 points per game) and 30th in yards per play (4.7). Now, the Bears have one of the worst rush offenses in the NFL, but the Chiefs have one of the worst rush defenses. The game could come down to how well Chicago is able to move the football on the ground.

Defensively, Chicago’s defense has been one of the best in the league this year. Last week, the Bears got all-pro defensive tackle Akiem Hicks from injured reserve, and had a huge impact in their game against the Packers. Hicks will need to do the same thing again this week against the Chiefs to slow down Mahomes. Kansas City’s offense is good, but hasn’t been as elite since Mahomes came back from his knee injury. The matchup to watch Sunday night will be whether or not Chicago can slow down the Chiefs offense. With both sides ranking in the top-10 in DVOA, this could come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes. The Bears rank in the top five in both points per game allowed (18.3), and yards per play allowed (5). Chicago’s defense will be ready for a December primetime game at home.

Bears Depth Chart

QB1: Mitch Trubisky
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Tarik Cohen
WR1: Allen Robinson
WR2: Anthony Miller
WR3: Taylor Gabriel
TE1: Jesper Hosrted

Fantasy Pick: Mitch Trubisky

Hear me out on this one. Mitch Trubisky has been dealing with all the criticism about how mediocre of a second overall pick he has been since Pat Mahomes bursted onto the scene in 2018. Matt Nagy hasn’t lived up to the coaching hype since he was handed the play-calling duties in Kansas City. Both guys will want to prove the NFL wrong on national TV. Our Lineups projections have Trubisky scoring 19 points Sunday, and I think it could be higher. For daily fantasy players, Trubisky should be a pretty cheap option at quarterback, and he has a chance of putting up 20 points this week. He is a guy that I would seriously consider.