With 17 days to go before the Baltimore Ravens invade GEHA Field at Arrowhead, the Kansas City Chiefs have a meaningless tune-up game Thursday against the Chicago Bears. Head Coach Andy Reid said the starters would sit this game out.
Though he didn’t come out and say it on Monday, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid won’t put much effort into Thursday’s final preseason game against the Chicago Bears. Instead, with his starters on the bench, he will let some young guys get extensive minutes instead.
By doing so, Reid can take some practice time to get ready for their week one matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. As the Super Bowl winner, the Chiefs get to open the NFL season, unveil their new championship banner, and officially kick off 2024.
With roster cuts looming a week from Tuesday, Reid has the luxury of using some of his likely cuts to rest his stars and focus on the big picture. The Ravens will be motivated to come to Kansas City and avenge their 2023 AFC Championship game in Baltimore.
However, unlike last year, when they didn’t know the offense would struggle and the defense would be all nails, the Chiefs will enter the 2024 season with new weapons on offense and most of their starting defense returning.
Still, the final exhibition game does offer a break from the prep work for the Ravens, but Reid has been doing this a long time, and it’s clear he’s a master at the art of pushing his players just enough and resting them when they need it.
Heading into the regular season, the Chiefs are nursing injuries to Hollywood Brown, Chris Jones, Nazeeh Johnson, Joe Thuney, Justin Reid, and Jawaan Taylor. Reid confirmed that only Brown is a question mark for opening day.
On the other hand, the Bears have a very young team led by Quarterback Caleb Williams, and it’s possible he could play the first half against the Chiefs. Chicago has a lot of momentum heading into the season, and even though the Chiefs starters won’t be playing, a win would boost their confidence for their season opener.
This situation is similar to 2018, when Mahomes was given the mantle of the offense and played extensively in the preseason. Williams, the NFL’s top draft pick, has drawn comparisons to Mahomes, so seeing him play on Thursday will be interesting.
Kansas City will probably keep its defensive approach simple when facing the Bears. Against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, they didn’t blitz as much as they did in their exhibition opener against Jacksonville.
On Offense, Carson Wentz should get a few series under his belt before conceding playing time to backups Chris Oladokan and Ian Book. I doubt the Chiefs will carry three quarterbacks on the roster, but Oladokan, who runs the scout team as the opponent’s starting quarterback, will likely land back on the practice squad.
So, for those attending the game Thursday night, consider it related to the Kansas City Royals having an off day from their week-long home stand.
For the die-hards watching this final tune-up in person, this is a reminder that the start of the NFL season is just two weeks away.
I can smell the tailgating already!
