The Patriots walk into Soldier Field on Thursday night trying to make a statement out of a messy start.
New England has strung together three straight wins, a run that followed an opening stretch that didn’t go smoothly at all. The Patriots opened the season with a tight loss to the Seattle Seahawks, then got hammered by the Jacksonville Jaguars before turning things around.
That turnaround has come with a price, though. Injuries have shaped the story of the Patriots’ season more than almost anything else. Guards Mike Onwenu, Greg Van Roten and Alijah Vera-Tucker, fullback Reggie Gilliam, and wide receivers Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins are all on injured reserve, along with several other depth pieces.
The list of absences doesn’t stop there. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis, Karon Prunty and Channing Canada, as well as offensive guard Ben Brown, are not on injured reserve but have already been ruled out for Thursday night.
That leaves New England staring at a tough test against a Bears team built to stress opponents in every direction. Chicago comes in as one of the league’s most explosive offenses, sitting top five in yards per game even though starting quarterback Caleb Williams has already missed three games.
The Bears have also leaned hard on the run, leading the NFL with more than 160 rushing yards per game. And on the other side of the ball, they’ve been bringing heat, ranking top five in sacks with 17.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago.
In Other News...
Drake Maye Faces His Biggest Test Since Heating Up
Drake Maye has turned a corner for New England at just the right time, and Sundays matchup with Chicago gives the Patriots another chance to see how real that growth is. Over the last stretch, Maye has looked far more comfortable attacking downfield, and that development matters against a Bears defense that has had trouble holding up on deeper throws. On the other side, Caleb Williams has been working through his own learning curve while operating Chicagos offense with a shorter passing profile than the kind that can stress a secondary vertically.
For New England, the test is less about whether Maye can keep making the routine plays and more about whether he can keep forcing defenses out of their comfort zone when the windows get tighter. Chicagos availability on the back end adds another layer to the matchup, and the Patriots will be watching closely to see whether their young quarterback can keep the deep-ball momentum going against a unit that has had to patch together answers in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Face A Familiar Problem In A Very Winnable Bears Game
The Patriots head into a winnable matchup with Chicago carrying the same kind of offensive uncertainty that has followed them for stretches this season. New Englands line is again under the microscope, with injury questions surfacing at guard and along the right side, and that only adds pressure in a game where protection, rhythm and staying ahead of the chains could matter as much as anything the passing game does.
Chicago brings its own concerns, but the part of the Bears that most fits the Patriots' defensive attention is the ground game. With one key back unavailable, DAndre Swift figures to be a major part of the plan, and New England will have to be ready for a rushing attack that can control tempo if it gets rolling. For a Patriots team trying to turn a favorable spot into an actual result, the line play on both sides could end up deciding whether this one looks manageable or familiar in all the wrong ways. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Maye Is Betting Patriots Fans Will Stay Patient With A.J. Brown
A.J. Browns return from a high ankle sprain did not go the way the Patriots hoped, as the receiver was active again but came away with a quiet afternoon and a few costly miscues. After missing time, Brown was back in the lineup and immediately became a focal point in the offense, which only sharpened the attention on how he looked and how quickly he could shake off the rust.
Drake Maye is not sounding alarmed, though, and the quarterbacks confidence in Brown adds an important layer as New England turns its focus to the Bears. For the Patriots, the bigger question is whether Browns timing and comfort can sharpen quickly enough to make his return feel more like a turning point than a temporary detour. [Read more 🡒]