The Chiefs are solving a totally different — and preferable — equation than the Bears have been. Everything changes when the right quarterback is in place.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes still was rolling around in confetti after beating the 49ers to win his third Super Bowl late Sunday when the Bears sent out a 30-second hype video about them being on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
These teams couldn’t possibly be in more different places.
No one sees that more clearly than Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who helped the Chiefs draft Mahomes in 2017 and was part of their Super Bowl victory in 2020. And there’s no way Poles could have watched that game and been content with Justin Fields at quarterback.
The Chiefs have the best in the game. And while that comes with a hefty price tag, it’s a massive head start in roster-building. Mahomes give the Chiefs a margin for error. This was the worst team they had put around him in his six seasons as their starter, and he still won the title.
Whereas the Bears need to get every ancillary decision exactly right and hope Fields keeps the offense afloat, Mahomes doesn’t need it to be perfect.
‘‘He makes it look easy,’’ coach Andy Reid said Monday. ‘‘You narrowed it down to the top two teams in the world, and he’s out there playing like he’s playing in the backyard, like it’s nothing.
‘‘He’s all you can ask for.’’
Reid also made clear that he’s coming back next season, and why not? His job looks fun. After becoming the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls, the Chiefs want to be the first to win three in a row.
