Passage: For the fifth game of the season, the Bears visited Kansas City, who trailed the Bears 5-6 in the all-time series; the game was the first in Kansas City since 2003, which the Chiefs won 31-3. Entering the game, the Bears were plagued by injuries, with 16 players listed on the injury report: Jermon Bushrod (concussion) was ruled out, safety Antrel Rolle (ankle) was doubtful, and 13 others were questionable. Jeff Joniak wrote that the offense had to be cautious of Bob Sutton's 3-4 defense, particularly the front five guided by linebacking duo Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. However, the pass rush only had nine sacks in 2015. To combat the defense, the Chiefs' cornerbacks had to be targeted, particularly Jamell Fleming and rookie Marcus Peters, who was targeted the most among cornerbacks in the NFL and four touchdowns, respectively. Additionally, the Chiefs had allowed 15 touchdowns, the most in the NFL, and in the red zone, was ranked the worst in the league. Also, the Chiefs pass defense allowed eleven passing touchdowns and 295.5 passing yards per game (ranked 28th in the league), while recording only two interceptions. The Bears defense, which had recorded six sacks in the last two games, faced an offensive line that allowed a league-high 19 sacks. Despite the struggles on the OL, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith had receivers like Jeremy Maclin, who had recorded 148 receiving yards in the previous game, though Smith had a 49.5 completion percentage to receivers, one of the worst in the league. In the rushing attack, the Chiefs had running back Jamaal Charles, who was tied with Matt Forte for the most rushes of ten yards or more in the NFL with eleven; however, Charles had fumbled 26 times in his career, including twice in 2015. On special teams, facing former Bears ST coordinator Dave Toub, the Kansas City return unit was led by Knile Davis (kickoffs) and De'Anthony Thomas (punts); Davis ranked fourth in the NFL in KR yards, while Thomas was tied for seventh in PR yards. The Bears' coverage unit took on Pro Bowl punter Dustin Colquitt, who was ranked fourth in gross punt average and third in net average, while allowing only 51 yards on the return, along with kicker Cairo Santos led the league in field goals. Bushrod, Rolle, Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, David Fales, guard Patrick Omameh and defensive end Will Sutton were inactive. The Chiefs won the toss and deferred until the second half. After the Bears and Chiefs' first drives ended with punts, the Bears' next possession started at their own nine-yard line after an 18-yard punt return by Marc Mariani was nullified by Jeremy Langford's holding penalty. Three plays into the drive, Chiefs Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey sacked Jay Cutler in the endzone, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Ramik Wilson and gave the Chiefs the touchdown. After getting the ball back, the Bears were able to score three points late in the first quarter with Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal. The Chiefs eventually punted again, and the Bears were again pinned inside their own five-yard line; the drive stalled, and Pat O'Donnell punted from the endzone. Despite playing a team with offensive line struggles, the Bears failed to employ a pass rush during the Chiefs' next drive, and once they did on third down, Smith threw a pass to Thomas, who scored on the 19-yard play. Kansas City increased the margin to 17-3 with nine seconds left in the second quarter, with Santos' 35-yard field goal; Cutler kneeled to end the first half. On the Chiefs' first drive of the second half, the offense reached the Bears' nine-yard line, but Santos' field goal was blocked by Pernell McPhee, allowing the Bears to take over at their own 17. The first play of the Bears' drive was a ten-yard run by Forte for a first down, marking the Bears' first since the opening quarter, and the series concluded with Gould's 30-yard field goal. The next four drives of the game ended with punts, while one of the series, held by the Bears, concluded with a turnover on downs. With 7:51 left in the game and down 17-6, Cutler attempted to lead another comeback for the second consecutive game. The first drive lasted eleven plays and 88 yards, concluding with Cutler throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Marquess Wilson in the corner of the left endzone. The Bears attempted to go for two, but Cutler's pass for Mariani was ruled out; after a challenge, the ruling was upheld. The Chiefs eventually punted again, with the Bears starting their next drive on their own 33. Cutler led the offense on an eight-play, 67-yard drive, concluding with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Forte despite dropping the snap. However, the Bears failed the two-point conversion. The Chiefs started their final drive on their own 33 with eleven seconds left in the game. Smith reached the Bears' 48 with a pass to Maclin, and on the next play, threw a nine-yard pass to Maclin. However, Maclin juggled the pass while going out of bounds. As a result, with two seconds left, the Chiefs elected to try a NFL record 66-yard field goal. However, Santos' kick fell short, giving the Bears the 18-17 win. This was Chicago's first victory at Arrowhead since 1993 where the Bears won 19-17. Two team records were set during the game. After converting his second field goal of the game, Gould became the leader of the most points in franchise history with 1,168 points, surpassing Kevin Butler. The win was Cutler's 46th with the Bears, tying Jim McMahon for the most in team history.
Output: How many points did the Bears win by?