Bears vs. Chiefs: Instant analysis from Chicago's comeback preseason win

The Chicago Bears took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason finale on Friday night, where they overcame a multi-score deficit to sneak away with a 29-27 win.

This was their one road contest of the exhibition season, and although the game doesn't count, they were up against a Chiefs squad that has been to seven straight AFC title games and three straight Super Bowls. With Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and other starters going for Andy Reid's team, it was always going to have a different kind of feel, no matter what.

The game had a rocky start for the Bears. On both offense and defense, with starters playing, they were not good enough in the first half. It looked like they were ill-prepared to play the football game.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense got nothing out of their first two drives. Instead of dwindling and coming out of the game, head coach Ben Johnson left them in for the final two minutes of the half. It was then that they started to wake up.

Williams led a seven-play, 78-yard scoring drive, which culminated in a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rome Odunze in the final minute. Although they have to work on the preparation before Week 1 begins, they don't have to sit on a sour feeling for two weeks before getting back out there in game action.

On defense, Patrick Mahomes did what Patrick Mahomes does -- made the defense look silly with his impressive pocket awareness and ability to buy time. It didn't help that Chicago's pass rush was nonexistent, where Mahomes had all the time in the world. As a result, the Bears hit the showers at halftime down 20-10.

After the third quarter ended, they were down 27-10. Coming back from down 17 doesn't happen very often, regular season or preseason. Johnson isn't the type of coach to just roll over. He's intense enough to always try and win, no matter what. It showed in their operation against the Chiefs on Friday night.

Tyson Bagent, fresh off a two-year, $10 million contract extension, took over and led them on three touchdown drives, which culminated in a game-winning drive with a touchdown pass to rookie wideout Jahdae Walker, who may have secured a spot on the team. At a minimum, he should be a practice squad contender.

The score doesn't matter in the preseason, but the process is incredibly important. In the second half, and for portions of the second quarter, the operation was noticeably different from anything the Bears have had in a long time.

Chicago isn't going to play Patrick Mahomes every week, but the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals, Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens, and the difficult NFC North are all on the dock. If the Bears have slow starts like this in the regular season, they will lose.

After the game, Johnson told ESPN 1000 that Saturday will be "business as usual" in terms of watching film from this game so that they can work on their issues. Hearing that after an exciting ending tells the story of his intensity.

The next time the Bears play, it will count as they welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Soldier Field for the Week 1 opener. Overall, the preseason was a success as Chicago looks a lot better than they did at the beginning of training camp. If they can continue that growth over the course of the 2025 campaign, the franchise will be in great shape.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Chiefs: Instant analysis from Chicago's preseason win