KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- With Taylor Swift in the crowd Sunday at GEHA Fields at Arrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs ripped the Band-Aid off and skipped the Bears right out of town.
Final score: Chiefs 41, Bears 10.
I knew the Chiefs were trouble when they walked in.
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They had a marvelous time ruining everything.
The Bears had a tumultuous week that included the resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, the loss of left tackle Braxton Jones to a neck injury, and an open press conference from quarterback Justin Fields in which his comments about coaching and over information took on a life of their own.
Throughout the week, the Bears were adamant their focus was on the Chiefs and getting out of the early 0-2 hole they dug themselves. That would start with letting Fields play free against the defending champions and finding a way to turn Mahomes over.
The Bears brought a knife to a gunfight Sunday.
Bears Analysis
Mahomes went 20-for-27 for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the first half as the Chiefs roared out to a 38-0 halftime advantage. At halftime, the Chiefs had 22 first downs to the Bears' four and had outgained Chicago 312-85.
The Chiefs did a number on the Bears, but honestly, who's counting? The Bears were built to fall apart.
They say all's well that ends well, but the Bears are in a new hell.
Here are my Taylor Swift-themed observations from the Chiefs' 41-10 demolition of the Bears -- one that left no doubt about which direction the season is heading (my apologies to T-Swift for having to watch the Bears’ offense for three hours):
Break me like a promise
Fields' Wednesday presser gave a glimmer of hope that the Bears' offense on Sunday would look different than the listless unit they trotted out in the first two weeks.
There were thoughts of a comprehensive quarterback run game, more vertical passes, and more rolled pockets. There were a few more of those elements, but in the end, the Bears' offense was the same punchless unit it had been to start the season.
Fields finished the game 11-for-22 for 99 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His best pass was a 40-yard dime to DJ Moore down the right sideline that the star wide receiver dropped. Fields' lone touchdown came with 4:20 left in the game when he hit Moore on a 9-yard slant.
The Bears' run game looked a little sharper during the first half, but they were unable to string drives together and keep the ball out of Mahomes' hands. Once the Chiefs went up 21-0, it was curtains.
Untouchable, burning brighter than the sun
The Chiefs entered Sunday's Week 3 game with a lot of kinks to work out on offense.
Mahomes and Co. brought what can be described as their "C game" to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, and that was more than enough to embarrass a Bears defense that has been torn apart, limb by limb, in the first three weeks.
The Chiefs picked up just 17 yards on their first possession and punted. Punter Tommy Townsend's leg didn't get much work after that.
Mahomes and the Chiefs scored on their next seven possession, going 7-for-9 on third down and 5-for-5 in the red zone.
In 2.5 quarters of work, Mahomes went 24-for-33 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs starters stayed in just long enough to get Kelce a touchdown in front of his new girlfriend before Andy Reid called off the dogs.
Through the first 10 quarters of the season, the Bears' defense recorded just one sack and did not notch a takeaway. Linebacker Jack Sanborn broke the turnover-less drought when he intercepted backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the third quarter.
That interception led to a sad field goal that cut the Chiefs' lead to 38 early in the fourth quarter.
I think I've seen this film before, I didn't like the ending
The Chiefs embarrassed the Bears. No other way to put it. If you wanted a measuring stick between the best team in the league and where this Bears rebuild is, you got a clear picture Sunday.
But the final score might not even have been the worst part of the proceedings for the Bears.
Quarterback Justin Fields took a shot to the head from Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay early in the fourth quarter. Fields tried to stay in the game, but wide receiver DJ Moore basically forced him out of the game. Fields went to the medical tent briefly before returning to the bench. Fields returned to the game without missing a play.
Chicago entered the game already down two starts in the secondary, with Kyler Gordon on injured reserve with a broken hand and Eddie Jackson out with a foot injury. The Bears lost rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (concussion) and star corner Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) during the first half.
The Bears also saw backup nickel corner Josh Blackwell leave the game in the second half with a hamstring injury. Star linebacker Tremaine Edmunds also went back to the locker room but returned to the sideline later.
Just three weeks into the season, the Bears are down a number of key starters and seem to be losing more by the week.
If they don't get healthy soon th -- wait, can things get worse?
Shake it off?
Sunday's back-alley ass-kicking was a tough watch and a low point for the early part of the Matt Eberflus era.
But hey, it could be worse. They could be the Broncos, who gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday and are ... two-point favorites at Soldier Field next week.
More on that next week ...