Yahoo Sports Bears vs. Patriots: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 10
The Chicago Bears (4-4) will face the New England Patriots (2-7) in Week 9 on Sunday at 1 p.m. Bears’ rookie QB Caleb Williams will face another rookie QB for the second time this season in Drake Maye.
The last time the Bears and Patriots faced off in 2022, Chicago was victorious 33-14. While the Bears still have head coach Matt Eberflus, the patriots have first-year head coach Jerod Mayo at the helm now.
The Bears are coming off a two-game skid in which they lost to the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals. Let’s look away those losses and check out the four key matchups for the Bears vs. Patriots.
1. Caleb Williams vs. Patriots pass coverage
The Patriots pass coverage has been far from successful this season, and is near the bottom of the NFL. New England is allowing 224.6 passing yards per game this season, while Williams is averaging 208.1 passing yards per game. Both of the Patriots top corners, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones, have given up over 200 yards each through the air. The Bears’ talented receivers shouldn’t have an issue matched up against the Patriots, so Williams has to make sure he makes the right reads.
2. Bears offensive line vs. Patriots pass rush
New England has a decent pass rush. Pro Football Focus ranks them at No. 15 in the NFL with a grade of 67.4. Although the Patriots have had success pressuring the QB, they’ve come up with just 16 sacks this season — the fourth lowest mark in the NFL thus far. What the Patriots have to their advantage is the Bears injuries on the offensive line. An already struggling unit will be without two starting tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, as well as backup tackle Kiran Amegadije. The Bears could possibly have Ryan Bates starting at center after he was taken off of IR. Regardless, the offensive line cannot continue to let Williams face 40+ pressures in a game.
3. Bears pass rush vs. Patriots offensive line
The Bears have had one of the best pass rushing attacks in the NFL this season, and now will have Montez Sweat back against the Patriots. Chicago has 23 sacks this season and is preparing to face one of the few offensive lines worse than their own. According to PFF, the Patriots have the No. 30 ranked pass protection in the NFL with a grade of 50.5. The Patriots having a rookie QB behind center who’s only played in a handful of games is just a further advantage of the Bears in the pass rush game. Getting to Maye could lead to sacks as well as downfield mistakes.
4. Bears secondary vs. Patriots wide receivers
The Patriots don’t have the most impressive receiving room in the NFL. Tight end Hunter Henry leads them with 414 receiving yards, and their top two receivers have dropped a combined four open passes this season. On the other hand, the Bears have one of the top secondaries in the NFL and nickel Kyler Gordon will be back for Week 9. According to PFF, the Bears have the seventh best coverage grade at 77.6.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Patriots: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 10
