Patrick Mahomes passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns and Isiah Pacheco rushed for 62 yards and a score as the host Kansas City Chiefs routed the skidding Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday.
Kansas City (2-1) scored the first 41 points of the game. Mahomes led the way, going 24-of-33 passing while hooking up with Jerick McKinnon for two touchdowns.
Chicago (0-3) has lost 13 in a row dating to last season, yielding at least 25 points in each game.
Mahomes tweaked his ankle late in the first half but appeared to be all right as he returned for the third quarter. Blaine Gabbert entered in relief with the Chiefs leading 41-0 late in the third quarter.
Chicago intercepted Gabbert twice. The Bears avoided a shutout when Cairo Santos made a 21-yard field goal with 13:34 to go. Fields found DJ Moore for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 4:20 left.
Justin Fields was 11-for-22 passing for 99 yards with a touchdown and interception. Fields also was the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards.
The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Kansas City rolled to a 34-0 halftime lead, outgaining Chicago 312-85 in the first 30 minutes. The Chiefs had 22 first downs in the first half compared to four for Chicago, which ran just four plays in Kansas City territory over that span.
After punting the ball away on their first drive, the Chiefs scored on their next six possessions before halftime while nearly eclipsing their combined point production from the first two games of the season — 37.
Kansas City’s surge included the team’s first first-quarter points of the season. The first scoring connection between Mahomes and McKinnon capped a six-play, 59-yard touchdown drive.
Mistakes and missed execution from the Bears helped the Chiefs collect 13 points in the final 1:51 of the second quarter.
Chicago running back Khalil Herbert’s fumble led to a 41-yard Harrison Butker field goal. Fields was intercepted on the ensuing possession, one play after Moore dropped what would have been a long gain down the sideline. Kansas City took over at the Chicago 26-yard line and scored three plays later on Pacheco’s 1-yard TD run.
The Bears possessed the ball for just 31 seconds before punting again. Butker kicked a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was the defensive play-caller for the team for the second straight week. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned on Wednesday, citing health and family reasons.
–Field Level Media
