The Chicago Bears are 2-4 and losers of three straight. Now they face back-to-back road games, starting with a visit to the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick always has his teams ready to play, and they don’t tend to suffer trap games. That means the Bears will need to have one of their best performances of the season to have a chance. It doesn’t feel like that is likely to happen, considering where things are at.
Then again, this is the NFL. People stopped trying to predict this league years ago. Anything can happen. Chicago did have extra time to prepare, and it’s not like they have anything to lose at this point. Matt Eberflus and his staff might have a few surprises in store for the game. Then again, fans gave up hoping for something different from this team long ago.
Chicago Bears need lots of luck to pull this one off.
Backstory:
Two teams going in the opposite direction, largely thanks to the play of their quarterbacks. Justin Fields, the uber-talented former 1st round pick, can’t find a rhythm in the passing game. Meanwhile, the Patriots have gotten surprise contributions from 4th round rookie Bailey Zappe. Part of New England’s success comes from their command of the line of scrimmage. Their offensive line has played really well the past few weeks. Chicago has not. Fields makes matters worse with his tendency to hold the ball. Everything about this game will stem from who controls the trenches.
Injury report:
Christian Barmore (knee) – The former 2nd round pick is the most reliable interior pass rush presence the Patriots have. So him going down against Cleveland with a knee injury wasn’t a welcome sign. While it appears he avoided a serious setback, the likelihood of him playing on Monday night feels 50/50 at best. That would be welcome for the Chicago Bears, given their shaky interior pass protection.
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N’Keal Harry (ankle) – The former 1st round pick was activated last week from IR. He couldn’t suit up for the Washington game, but signs point to him making his debut in Foxborough. One can safely guess he’s had this game circled for months. The Patriots drafted him in the 1st round a few years ago, and things never went right. Harry thinks he never got a fair shot. No doubt he’s dying to prove them wrong.
Key matchups:
Braxton Jones vs. Matthew Judon – New England’s pass rush has had lots of success lately, and Judon is the driving force behind it with six sacks. He has had 20 pressures in the past four games. One can make a safe bet the Patriots will look to get him lined up against Jones as often as possible. The rookie has struggled a lot in recent weeks, showing all the inexperience he has. Montez Sweat ate him up on Thursday night. Judon doesn’t figure to go easy on him, either.
Matthew Judon casually beating three blockers in three seconds for a sack pic.twitter.com/3AlbvhBHnf
— charlie white (@_charliewhite_) October 11, 2022
Hunter Henry vs. Nicholas Morrow – One thing that has become more evident in the past two weeks since Zappe took over is how the Patriots have gotten their tight ends more involved, especially Henry. That means they will likely attack the middle of the field frequently. Morrow hasn’t been stellar in coverage this year, but he’s been steady. He can’t afford to let Henry get going.
X-factors:
Rhamondre Stevenson – It isn’t a secret Chicago has one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. So it probably isn’t a good thing that Stevenson is averaging 5.1 yards per carry for the Patriots. He is a hard runner with good vision. If New England gets some of the lanes previous opponents have seen against the Bears, the running back will feast. The best thing might be to load the box and dare Zappe to beat them through the air.
✨Rhamondre Stevenson appreciation post✨ pic.twitter.com/X23LUjzm4O
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) October 13, 2022
Justin Fields – The Belichick defense has been consistently one of the best in the NFL for a long time. They have few weaknesses. However, one that seems to keep giving them problems over the past year is highly mobile quarterbacks. Josh Allen gave them fits in their two recent losses to Buffalo. Lamar Jackson cracked 100 yards on just 11 carries a few weeks ago. Everybody knows Fields can run. He’s on track for 800 yards this season. Maybe the Bears should look to use that to their advantage.
Prediction: Patriots win 35-10
One thing about Belichick is he always knows how to kick a team when it’s down. He also knows how to expose young, struggling quarterbacks. Nothing about this matchup favors the Chicago Bears. They’re on the road against an opponent well-equipped to attack every one of their weaknesses. Nothing about this prediction is fun. Fans should brace themselves for another ugly primetime game.
