Chiefs defeat Bears to open preseason
By Mike Nugent
Warpaint Illustrated Beat Writer
Posted Aug 8, 2008
On a stunning Chicago summer night, the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their 2008 campaign with a bang, defeating the Bears 24-20.
Kansas City started the game strong, scoring on a magnificent opening-possession drive that lasted nine minutes before running back Larry Johnson finally punched the ball into the endzone from the five-yard line to put the Chiefs up, 7-0.
With 6:51 left in the first half, the Bears kicked a 42-yard field goal to make the score 7-3 before the Chiefs scored a touchdown late in the half on an 8-yard Maurice Price catch to go up 14-3.
The Bears scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, once when quarterback Rex Grossman hooked up with running back Garrett Wolfe on a 25-yard reception, and later when quarterback Caleb Hanie hit Brandon Rideau with a 13-yard touchdown to put the Bears up 17-14.
In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs and Bears traded field goals before Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen found wide receiver Bobby Sippio 27 yards downfield to put the Chiefs up for good with 2:11 left in the game.
THE GOOD
Kansas City’s first-string offense looked terrific on the opening series. The Chiefs opened the game with an eight minute, 45-second drive right out of Head Coach Herm Edwards’ dreams. The offense was five for five on third downs and more importantly, got big plays from their rookies. Running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Brad Cottam, fullback Mike Cox and wide receiver Will Franklin all contributed to help the offense score.
Quarterback Brodie Croye appeared to make the right reads and looked comfortable at the line of scrimmage before the snap. On a couple of incomplete passes, it appeared he was making the right decision, but either the receiver slipped or the ball got away from him. Overall, Croyle executed the offense well.
Reserve quarterback Damon Huard did a nice job leading the team to a touchdown to end the first half. With 1:44 left in the half, the Chiefs drove 75 yards in eight plays in a well-executed two minute drill. Wide receiver Maurice Price keyed the drive with a 25-yard catch and an eight-yard catch for the touchdown.
Linebacker Derrick Johnson is in regular season form. He stayed in the game a bit longer than the rest of the starters, but his four tackles - two for losses - were still impressive.
Jamaal Charles is ready to ready to contribute immediately. He had some success running the ball and blocking and did a good job returning kicks.
THE BAD
The Chiefs generated practically no pass rush all game long. Chicago’s offensive lines did a good job of standing up KC’s front four regardless of who was in the game. It’s going to be a concern this season if the Chiefs don’t start getting after the quarterback.
Overall, the first-team offense couldn’t seem to open holes consistently for running back Larry Johnson, who finished the night with eight attempts for 18 yards, good for 2.3 yards per carry. Keep in mind that 12 of those yards came on two plays.
One of the things the Chiefs hang their hats on is winning the field position battle, and today, they just didn’t get it done. Kansas City’s average starting position was on the 22, while Chicago’s average start was on the 31.
The Chiefs also allowed 175 yards on the ground. There’s no need to elaborate on
