The New England Patriots defeated the Chicago Bears 19-3 in Week 10, improving their record to 3-7 on the year.
Here are the things that caught my eye during the live viewing, both good and bad.
winner
DL Keon White and the pass rush: The Patriots hit a season-high 48.8% on dropbacks and decided to attack the Bears’ injured offensive line. It paid off, as New England had seven defenders totaling nine sacks, with Dietrich Wise and Anfernee Jennings each sacking Caleb Williams twice.
Keion White produced a team-high six pressures and a sack of his own, despite admitting to being double- and triple-teamed on third down. White had success in those matchups as well, generating a career-high two pressures against double teams.
TE Austin Hooper: It was a quiet day overall for New England’s passing attack against a good Bears defense, but Austin Hooper had the best game of his Patriots career. Hooper led the team with three receptions for 64 yards. That included an impressive 28-yard catch over a defender that provided New England with its first score. He then gained 25 yards late in the second half.
DBs Christian Gonzalez and Del Petas: On Sunday, New England had great man coverage (61 percent) against a Bears offense that features three dangerous receivers. Instead of tailing the receiver, Christian Gonzalez welcomed DJ Moore or Roma Odunze along the perimeter. In those matchups, he allowed just one catch for 18 yards on three targets.
As for Pettus, the UDFA safety committed a pass breakup on third down and recorded a sack as a free rusher.
K Joey Sly: After missing a long kick last week, Sly made all four of his field goal attempts at Soldier Field in windy conditions. In addition to Jafrani Tavai, who welcomed her own child on Friday, Sly, who recently welcomed a baby into the family, also received the game ball.
loser
Punt Coverage: On the first punt of the game, the Patriots’ punt coverage allowed for a 38-yard return. This has been a recurring theme lately, as he allowed a 40-yard return to the Jets and a 96-yard touchdown to the Jaguars two weeks ago.
Honorable mention
It was a solid day overall, with much-needed help from Drake May’s rushing attack and defense. Maye had his best performance of the year in the play-action game, making every possible throw. His best performance was a 22-yard completion to Keishon Butte in one minute of practice. His interception, which he described as an attempt to throw away, was poor and nearly hit Hunter Henry in the end zone. However, May bounced back nicely and outperformed Williams. This was a better performance than New England’s ground game, where Rhamondre Stephenson gained 74 yards on 20 carries. Antonio Gibson provided a late change of pace with 26 yards on five carries. Some of the space on the ground came from the offensive line, and New England stuck to continuity using the lineup that started the Jets game and finished the Titans game. May still received seven hits, but was under pressure on 34.5 percent of his dropbacks. Kyshon Boot and Demario Douglas each had four catches, but it was good to see Jalin Polk find the end zone after his recent struggles. Kendrick Bourne returned to the bench with zero snaps. KJ Osborne took on a bigger role but ended up failing to catch a single target. Credit Jerrod Mayo and DeMarcus Covington for the “Longhorn” package with Brenden Schooler on defense. Schooler spied Williams on third down and finished with a sack and a QB hit. In the return game, Marcus Jones did more damage by breaking up a 24-yard punt return and helping set up the offense at the end of the first half.
