New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears: 3 to Watch
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FOXBORO — The New England Patriots are ready for some Monday Night Football in Week 7.
The Pats are looking to move above .500 for the first time in 2022 as they prepare to face off against the Chicago Bears on Monday, Oct. 24 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium.
This week’s game will mark the 15th meeting overall between the Patriots and Bears (including Super Bowl XX). New England has won the last five meetings including a 38-31 win at Chicago on Oct. 21, 2018 in the last meeting between the two teams.
Though many Patriots players are expected to garner some attention during Sunday’s matchup, here are three players that might raise an eyebrow when the Pats take the field against the Bears.
Mac Jones
As the late, great Bobby Darin once crooned: “Look out ‘ol Mac is back.”
Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones has not played a regular-season snap since suffering a high ankle sprain in the closing moments of the Pats Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. However, all signs seem to be pointing towards the Pats incumbent starter re-taking the reins of the Pats offense against the Bears.
In the midst of introducing a pair of two new offensive coaches in Matt Patricia (offensive line) and Joe Judge (quarterbacks), as well as a new offensive style, New England went 1-2 in Jones’ first three games. During that span, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 786 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
In Jones’ stead, rookie Bailey Zappe performed brilliantly, leading New England to a 2-0 record in his two starts. In 11 quarters plus one overtime period, the rookie has completed 51 of 70 pass attempts for 596 yards as well as four touchdowns and an interception.
Still, Jones’ experience and advanced knowledge of the Patriots system makes him the logical choice to start, once he is physically able.
Although the Pats have incorporated additional zone run concepts into their offense, the Patriots’ aerial attack remains timing-based, predicated on vertical routes and completions from quick, accurate throws. New England also continues to spread the ball to multiple pass catchers; a strategy for which they have been lauded for two-plus decades.
During his brief tenure in New England to date, Jones has been quite proficient at running this type of offense. With a strong supporting cast of playmakers around him, Jones should able to create plays by leading his receivers under the defense, releasing the ball quickly and delivering it accurately. If properly executed, it will give his playmakers the space they needed to catch and run with the football.
With improved blocking along the offensive line, Jones should find the short and intermediate areas of the field, while generating the big play off of play-action against a suspect Bears defense.
Rhamondre Stevenson
For the past two weeks, Stevenson has taken on the feature duties in the absence of Damien Harris. After running for a career-high 161 yards in relief of Harris in Week 5, Stevenson saw the field for 86 percent of the Patriots plays against the Browns in Week 6; carrying the ball 19 times for 76 yards, with his longest coming on a 31-yard run in which he found a back-end seam to power ahead for his first rushing touchdown of 2022. Stevenson is proving himself more-than-capable of carrying the load as New England’s top option at the position.
With Harris expected to be back in the lineup, New England has a chance to run the ball with great effectiveness on Monday night. Chicago is entering the game with the 29th-ranked rush defense, allowing 163 yards per game and 24th in yards per attempt (4.8 average). The Pats offensive has better utilized pulling guards and gap runs to kickstart their running game in recent weeks. Accordingly, that should lead to a big night on the ground for New England’s running backs.
As Harris will likely operate within a reduced workload, the Pats may look to Stevenson to use his physical, powerful running style, along with his vision and athleticism to make tacklers miss in short yardage in situational runs. The 24-year-old also possesses the necessary intangibles to be an effective option in receiving out of the backfield, having caught 17 of 21 targets for 86 yards to date in 2022.
Kyle Dugger
Dugger was New England’s defensive standout during their 38-15 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. The 26-year-old excelled in man coverage, when dropping into zone and on the blitz. He led the team with eight total tackles, two passes-defensed and one interception. On the season, he has also compiled 23 total tackles (two for loss), and one fumble receiver returned for a 59-yard touchdown.
Dugger’s versatility has earned him a spot as a mainstay in the Patriots defensive backfield. The third-year defensive back from Division II Lenore-Rhyne has been a force at his position when the Pats have used both big nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six defensive backs) defensive packages. Dugger has been most effective when used against tight ends and receiving backs out of the backfield. As such, one of his primary responsibilities this Sunday would presumably be to provide coverage in the middle of the field against Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
With the Patriots having shown favoritism for zone in their recent game planning, they have been quite successful when using their three-safety base in short zone, as well. With top wideout Darnell Mooney likely to draw the attention from New England’s corners (high-low in zone coverage; double-team in man), Kmet and possibly big-bodied, ex-Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry will occupy the Pats safeties. Dugger, the most physical of the Pats safeties, would undoubtedly look to contain Kmet. However, it might be interesting to see if Dugger draws any coverage against Harry in short-yardage, or red zone situations.
Bonus — Milestone Watch: Bill Belichick
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is entering Week 7 tied with former Chicago Bears legendary head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Halas for second place among all NFL coaches with 324 total wins. A win over Chicago will give Belichick his 325th overall victory and sole possession of second place; just 22 wins behind the 347 total wins by Don Shula.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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