The Patriots had enough problems in their 30-24 loss to the Bears without making life easier for Chicago. New England was dealing with injuries up front and elsewhere, but that didn’t explain away the sloppy night at Soldier Field. The bigger issue was a string of wasted chances and defensive breakdowns that let the Bears seize control in key moments.
Mike Vrabel pointed directly at one culprit after the game.
“Tackling wasn't good enough,” he said during the postgame press conference, per MassLive.com's Mark Daniels.
That showed up all over the field. The Patriots were especially exposed to the explosive play, with Luther Burden III piling up four catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze also hit New England for big gains, turning a manageable game into one the Patriots had to chase.
One sequence in particular summed up the damage. With less than 20 seconds left in the first half and the Bears facing third-and-17, Caleb Williams found Burden for a 24-yard touchdown. New England answered right back with a wild Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown in the closing seconds of the second quarter, but that didn’t erase the fact that the defense had already given Chicago a huge lift.
The Patriots also handed the Bears too many easy yards through their own mistakes. Missed tackles and 10 penalties made the night even heavier for New England, which now has plenty to sort through on the trip home. The issues will have to be cleaned up fast, because a Week 8 road game against the winless Miami Dolphins is next.
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Drake Mayes early-season growing pains were easy to see through the first three games, but the Patriots have watched the rookie settle in and start to steer the offense with far more confidence since then. His improved play has helped keep New England in games even as the defense has had its own issues, and the 4-3 start entering Week 8 has given the team a much better feel than it had in September.
Mike Vrabel added to that optimism after Mayes Week 7 performance, offering a public show of support for the young quarterback at a time when every encouraging sign matters. For a Patriots team still trying to sort out its identity, that kind of backing from the head coach matters almost as much as the progress on the field, especially with Maye giving the offense a reason to stay competitive every week. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Vrabel's Late Gamble Left Patriots With A Tough Result
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New England executed the tactic, but the margin for error vanished soon after. Chicago responded with a kick from Cairo Santos that turned the situation from a calculated gamble into a costly final sequence, and Vrabel later acknowledged both the strategy and the way the Patriots handled it even as the decisive field goal settled the result. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Have A TreVeyon Henderson Issue They Can't Easily Hide
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The tension for New England is that Henderson's big-play ability is valuable enough to matter, but his blocking shortcomings make the playbook easier to read when he is on the field. The Patriots would like to lean on his speed more often, yet they do not have a clean answer for how to do that without exposing the offense in protection. Until that changes, Henderson's role is going to stay awkwardly split between the impact he can make and the situations the team can trust him in. [Read more 🡒]