Dec 22, 2019; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki (88) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears play their first game of the 2022 NFL preseason when the teams square off on Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Chiefs are coming off a fourth consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship game, but they are looking to get back to the Super Bowl after missing it last season. Meanwhile the Bears are in their first season under new head coach Matt Eberflus after going 6-11 and finishing third in the NFC North last year under Matt Nagy.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. With news that the Chiefs are planning to play starters, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, early in this game, Caesars Sportsbook now lists Kansas City as the 2.5-point favorite in the latest Chiefs vs. Bears odds. The over/under for total points is up to 39. Before locking in any Bears vs. Chiefs picks or 2022 NFL preseason predictions, make sure you check out what SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. Entering the 2022 NFL season, he is 427-344 all-time on NFL sides (plus $3,764 for $100 players), including 394-330 on NFL picks against the spread. Hartstein went 68-50 ATS (58 percent) and 8-3 on money-line plays last season for a profit of $1,552.
Now, Hartstein has locked in on Chiefs vs. Bears from every angle and released a confident against-the-spread pick. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks and analysis. Here are several NFL odds and trends for Bears vs. Chiefs:
Quinn is a pass-rushing force for Chicago. The 12th-year vet is coming off a season in which he set the Bears franchise record for most sacks (18.5) in a season and was named second-team All-Pro. For his career he has 101 sacks, which ranks 35th all-time.
In addition, Chicago faces a Kansas City offense that is still in the process of learning to play without one of its top playmakers from recent seasons, Tyreek Hill. The 5-foot-10 burner, who scored 62 touchdowns from scrimmage in six seasons in Kansas City, was traded in March to the Dolphins in exchange for multiple draft picks. To replace Hill, the Chiefs brought in, among others, JuJu Smith-Schuster, who played just five games last season because of a shoulder injury.
Instead of playing things safe and sitting Mahomes in what's essentially a meaningless game, Reid said earlier this week that the former MVP would play a quarter against the Bears. Mahomes finished fourth in the NFL last season in both passing yards (4,839) and passing touchdowns (37).
In addition, the Chiefs face a Chicago receiving corps that has been decimated by injuries. Veteran receivers N'Keal Harry (ankle), Byron Pringle (quad) and David Moore (lower body) and rookie third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. (unspecified) have all been sidelined with injuries and likely won't play Saturday. That doesn't even include the Bears' second-leading receiver from last year, Allen Robinson, who signed with the Rams in the offseason.
Now, Hartstein has broken down Bears vs. Chiefs from every angle. He's leaning Under the total, and he's found a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back on Saturday. He's sharing what it is, and whom to back, only at SportsLine.
So who wins Chiefs vs. Bears? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bears vs. Chiefs spread you should jump on Saturday, all from the expert who is up more than $3,700, and find out.