Patriots Knock off Bears with Defensive Dominance

The New England Patriots won their third game on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, beating the Bears 19-3. The New England defense answered criticism about their ability to stop the run with vigor, holding the Bears’ ground game to 73 yards on 20 attempts. As Chicago became one-dimensional, the Patriots’ pass rushers pinned their ears back and hunted rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in the pocket. Seven different Patriots finished with a sack in the dominant victory by the New England defense. 

Despite a lot of talent either missing due to injury or personal reasons, New England showed that the team could hang around with playoff contenders in the victory. There have been a lot of questions concerning the Patriots’ front seven, specifically about their ability to get after the passer and stuff the run. Led by veteran defensive linemen Deatrich Wise Jr. and Anfernee Jennings, who racked up 13 tackles for loss, as well as second-year man Keion White, leading the pass rush with six quarterback pressures. From a coaching standpoint, DeMarcus Covington heated the rookie quarterback in the pocket, sending a blitz on 48.8% of passing attempts. For the first time since the fluke win against Cincinnati, Patriots fans have reason to be optimistic about their defense. However, with questions about the Bears’ offensive line this week, including backups playing across the line, it will be huge to see if the Patriots’ pass rush can keep up this standard next week against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Offensively, New England ran the ball effectively for the first time since Week One against the Bengals. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 74 yards on 20 attempts, for 3.7 yards per carry. Complimented by rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s 24 yards across four attempts, the Patriots’ offense was able to work ahead of the sticks and open up the whole playbook on third downs. Despite this, the New England offense struggled to extend its drives, as they finished five for 14 on third-down conversions. Crunch-time offense is something that the Patriots will need to improve on as the second half of the season goes on. 

Maye earned his first victory as the quarterback throughout the whole game in the Windy City. While there were some bright spots from the young star, this could be his worst performance yet. He finished 15 of 25 for 184 yards and a touchdown, as well as throwing an interception and a red zone target that should have been intercepted as well. While his footwork and fundamentals look much improved, it is time to start seeing some improvements in terms of committing these “turnover-worthy” plays. Still, Maye influenced the game with his legs and his ability to lead the offense, keeping things on the straight and narrow.