KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-0)
AT
CHICAGO BEARS (0-0)

PRESEASON GAME #1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2008 – 7:00 PM (CENTRAL)
SOLDIER FIELD – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Chiefs Television Network - KCTV-5 (CBS in Kansas City) - Play-by-play: Roger Twibell - Color Commentator: Jayice Pearson - Sideline Reporter: Rich Baldinger

Chiefs FOX Football Radio Network - KCFX-FM (101.1 FM in Kansas City - Affiliates) - Play-by-play: Mitch Holthus - Color Commentator: Len Dawson - Sideline Reporter: Kendall Gammon

THE MATCH-UP

Kansas City travels to the Windy City as the Chiefs visit Soldier Field in the preseason opener for both clubs. The two teams last met in the preseason in 2001 with Kansas City winning by a narrow 10-9 margin at Arrowhead (8/18/01). The last fi ve preseason meetings between the clubs have been decided by fi ve points or less, dating back to ‘83.

The Chiefs and Bears are both seeking to resume their winning traditions in 2008. Kansas City earned a playoff appearance in Herm Edwards’ debut campaign with the Chiefs in 2006, while Lovie Smith’s squad earned a berth in Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 campaign. A retooled Chiefs squad is seeking to rebound from last year’s 4-12 season, while the Bears are attempting to improve on last year’s 7-9 effort.

A pair of former assistant coaches under Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, both Edwards and Smith are building defenses in the images of Dungy’s vaunted Bucs squads. The defensive improvement continued for the Chiefs a year ago as Kansas City ranked in the NFL’s top fi ve in nine different different defensive categories. The Chiefs led the league in thirddown defense (31.3%) and forced a league-high 121 negative plays. KC also ranked second in the NFL in Red Zone defense (14.5 TD pct.).

New Kansas City offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has a host of weapons at his disposal. Two-time Pro Bowl RB Larry Johnson returns for the Chiefs after missing the fi nal eight games of the 2007 campaign. Nine-time Pro Bowl TE Tony Gonzalez needs just 179 yards to overtake TE Shannon Sharpe (10,060) for the most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history. QB Brodie Croyle leads the Chiefs offense after starting six games a year ago. In Chicago, QBs Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are battling to determine who is the Bears starter on Opening Day.

Kansas City returns home to Arrowhead next week for its 2008 preseason home debut vs. Arizona (8/16). The Bears travel to Seattle next week to face the Seahawks at Qwest Field (8/16).

THE SERIES
Although Chicago owns a 6-4 advantage in the regular season series against the Chiefs, Kansas City boasts a 6-2 edge in preseason action vs. the Bears. The Chiefs hold a slim 10-8 advantage in all contests played between the two clubs. Chicago won the last regular season meeting by a 20-10 count at Soldier Field (9/16/08). Kansas City’s last regular season victory against the Bears was a 31-3 decision at Arrowhead (12/28/03).

Perhaps the most signifi cant Chiefs-Bears game was a preseason contest played on August 23rd of ‘67 at Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium. In one of the fi rst preseason meetings between AFL and NFL teams, the Chiefs upended Chicago by a 66-24 count. A 32-point second quarter and a 99-yard WR Noland Smith kickoff return helped Kansas City amass the highest point total in any game – preseason, regular season or postseason – in the franchise’s 47-year history. Said the legendary George Halas about the Chiefs: “They gave every indication tonight that they could play as good as any team in the National Football League.”

Although not as historically important as that ‘67 preseason game, the ‘96 preseason meeting between these two squads was also memorable. Monsoon-like conditions inundated Soldier Field, making scoring impossible in the second half. Play was eventually stopped with 4:20 left in the third quarter because of several lightning strikes with KC holding a 14-10 advantage.

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