3 things the Bears could learn from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory

The NFL is (and always has been) a copycat league. So when it comes to the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, teams like the Chicago Bears would be wise to try to steal a few trade secrets that have led to the recent dynasty level of success.

The ingredients in the Chiefs’ winning recipe aren’t hard to identify, yet the Bears have struggled to come close to anything resembling the winner that Kansas City is.

General manager Ryan Poles would be wise to watch, re-watch, and re-re-watch the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers and do his part to re-create Kansas City’s formula in Chicago.

Here are three things the Chicago Bears should learn from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory.

Chase greatness at quarterback.

Some Bears fans will say Chicago already has a great quarterback on the roster in Justin Fields, but anyone who watched Super Bowl LVIII saw it. They saw… it. Patrick Mahomes is greatness at quarterback, he’s the gold standard, and even though we probably won’t see another quarterback like him for a generation or two, the goal for a team like the Bears should be to keep knocking down every door until they find their Patrick Mahomes.

Fields isn’t Mahomes, and he never will be. It doesn’t mean he won’t be a very good starting quarterback in the NFL, but there are plenty of very good starters who miss the playoffs or get bounced from the first round. A great quarterback, a truly special player at the position, puts his team in position to win the Super Bowl as long as he’s healthy.

Will Caleb Williams be the next Mahomes? Who knows. But the Bears can’t let another team find out if he is. Williams’ success or failure has to happen in Chicago, Poles can’t be afraid to chase greatness, even if there are misses along the way.

I don’t believe Williams will be a miss. At worst, he’ll be Justin Fields Part 2. But that’s not the point, what really matters is what Williams can become at best. There’s a chance he can be the next great quarterback. The Bears deserve a player like that, as long as they’re willing to keep chasing.

Stability in the coaching staff matters.

Andy Reid has cemented his legacy as one of the best coaches in NFL history. He’s a Hall of Famer.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears will kick off Year 3 of Matt Eberflus, who was on the hot seat for most of the 2023 season. Even at the start of the offseason, it wasn’t clear if Eberflus would return.

Eventually, the Bears did what I believe was the right thing and committed to Eberflus for at least one more season. Since then, Chicago has formed one of the better coaching staffs in the NFC, proving that Eberflus’ colleagues want to work with him and believe in the vision the Bears have in place.

The Chiefs hired Andy Reid in 2013, and he had instant success. He was also a known commodity after a successful tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid has never had a losing season with the Chiefs, the closest he came was in 2014 when Kansas City finished 9-7.

The real story of the Reid era kicked off once Mahomes became the starter in 2018. Since then, the Chiefs have been to six straight AFC Championships and have won three Super Bowls. Remarkable.

The Chicago Bears must realize that the best teams have the best marriage between head coach and quarterback. While it’s an extreme longshot that Eberflus will end up having a Reid-like run with a first-round rookie like Caleb Williams, the Bears must let it play out. The coaching carousel has to stop, and stability has to become the norm inside Halas Hall.

Keep investing in the secondary.

Can we step back for a second and give props to the Chiefs’ secondary and their role in Kansas City’s Super Bowl win? Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed were awesome, as were Justin Reid and Mike Edwards. The secondary did its job to lock down the 49ers offense in the second half.

Poles has spent multiple high draft picks on cornerbacks and safety in his first two NFL Drafts, and he should keep going in 2024 and beyond. We saw firsthand how good the Chicago Bears defensive backs can be with an assist from a competent pass rush in 2023. They ended the year fourth in the NFL with 22 interceptions, most of which came after the Montez Sweat trade.

Here’s the point: Poles has to re-sign Jaylon Johnson and continue his quest to find and develop young cornerbacks. The Chiefs’ secondary was a big part of why they are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Call it a hunch, but I belive the Chicago Bears’ secondary could be a big reason why they make a strong playoff push in 2024.

Do the Bears have the pieces in place to compete for a Super Bowl anytime soon? Create a free user account and leave your opinion in the comments. We’d love for you to consider upgrading to a premium account for just $3.49/mo or $29.99/yr. You’ll have an ad-free experience and gain access to our exclusive content. Bear Down!