Patriots Fall Short in Chicago, Road Trip Continues to Miami
To open up Week 7 of the NFL season, the Patriots went into Chicago on Thursday Night Football and fell short 24-30, ending their 3-game winning streak. But, comparing this game to the other two losses this season, it was not as "hopeless". Maye, despite the one interception in the end zone, put up extremely similar numbers to Caleb Williams. Both QBs threw for over 300 yards and two TDs. Maye was not pleased with his costly turnover stating, “Those plays that can swing the game, can impact the game and - that was definitely one of them right there. Yeah, I wish I definitely had that one back.”
The biggest concerns from the game were yet again the injuries coming in, defensive miscues, and the inability to establish the run or any receiving threat with "star" WR A.J. Brown against the Bears defense. Many fans are becoming disgruntled with Brown's lack of performance. One anonymous, but avid Pats fan had this to say, “I get he has the lingering ankle sprain, but he does not look good. He looks off with everything; his hands, speed, separation, all of it. If he doesn't get going fast the offensive issues will worsen.” In addition to the ankle, it was announced on Thursday that Brown’s knee flared up, and his status for Sunday is once again up in the air.
Meanwhile, New England only tallied up 70 rushing yards as a team. RB Rhamondre Stevenson contributed elsewhere by leading the team in receiving yards with 93 and a touchdown. Drake Maye led the way rushing with 26 yards and a touchdown as well. Vrabel postgame supported the performance from Maye saying, “He gave us a chance, he competed. Whether that was running around and scrambling or finding good places to go with the football... I’m glad he's ours.”
For what feels like the first time this season, the Patriots escaped without any new additions to the injury report. Although (S) Kevin Byard III and (DT) Christian Barmore both went down during the game, Byard III returned shortly after and Barmore was able to walk off under his own strength. Star corner Christian Gonzalez was questionable ahead of the game with an illness. He did play but was relatively quiet on the field with four tackles. Also to note, the Patriots released Bryce Baringer (P) who has been on IR since preseason and his replacement Mitch Wishnowsky has been playing exceptionally well.
Across from Gonzalez, CB Marcus Jones had a difficult game missing six tackles, leading the team in their season high of 17, the team also had their season high in penalties (10). Vrabel was not pleased with those stats as postgame he said, “Tackling wasn't good enough, not against this team ... it just leads to extra yards and conversions.”
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The injury riddled offensive line held up surprisingly well in pass protection only allowing Maye to be sacked two times and hit twice as well, helping him earn an 117.8 QBR (QB rating). They stood strong against a formidable defensive line, picking up multiple key blitzes when the Bears brought pressure. The line was anchored by second year Left Tackle Will Campbell, who allowed 0 sacks, 0 QB hits and just two hurries; earning himself a 97.1 pass blocking grade.
Looking ahead towards Week 8, the Patriots will stay on the road going from Chicago down to Miami to play the Dolphins (1-6), in the first of their two meetings. In week 7 the Fins picked up their first win of the season vs. the Jets. Prior to the victory, the Dolphins had not taken a single snap on offense while leading the game. This Dolphins team should not prove to be very difficult for the Pats since they rank near the bottom of the league in total offense, defense, along with scoring offense and defense.
My Take?
According to BetMGM, New England comes in as 8.5-point favorites. Supported by the fact that the Pats are without a doubt a more complete and competitive team compared to the Dolphins, who are amid a rebuild. If the Patriots can clean up their penalties and missed tackles defensively from last week, they should be able to easily pull away from Miami. Additionally, the Pats defense on paper should dominate a star lacking Dolphins’ offense with DeVon Achane (RB) out for the season.
The game also favors the Pats with the Dolphins abysmal inability to get off the field, ranking 31st on defensive 3rd downs and allowing a 52% success rate. Drake Maye and the offense will have less of a challenge this week, especially in the pass game, if they can open up and establish the run game, unlike the last outing. This game has the makings of A.J. Brown’s long-awaited breakout performance and possible first Patriots touchdown, especially with the Fins leading corners being young and inexperienced – as long as Brown suits up. My score prediction is 37-13 Patriots.
My Record: 2-3
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