The Chicago Bears travel to New England on Monday night, hoping to get themselves out of their three week losing streak. For the Bears, every game this season is important, even though they’ve begun to be written off as a nonthreatening team. Chicago has a lot of improving to do with their brand new offense, but there is some silver linings in that; for the most part, the Bears seem to have consistently gotten better every week.
On the other side of the field, we have one of the most well known coaches in the history of football, Bill Belicheck, working on revamping his team since the departure of quarterback Tom Brady. Belicheck has been finding success here and there, and is slowly coaching up young stars to meld the New England Patriots back into an effective team. Recently, they’ve been on the come-up, shutting out the Detroit Lions two weeks ago, and dismantling the Browns last week in a 38-15 win. However, New England may soon become invested with drama. Those games were won with quarterback Bailey Zappe, a rookie filling in for starting QB Mac Jones, who was out due to injury. The irony? It is very arguable that Zappe has been out playing Jones, and many are wondering if he should take over, or if at least should be considered as a potential starter. In Jones’s three games starting this season, he is 1-2, with two passing touchdowns and five interceptions. In Zappe’s three games starting this season, he is 2-1 with four passing touchdowns and one interception. In short, Zappe has started his rookie season off hot, and last we saw Jones, he was in a bit of a slump. It’s widely believed Jones is back in action and will be taking to the field on Monday, so many are wondering if he can handle the pressure and prove why he deserves that starting position. The Bears may be able to capitalize off any nervousness, or they might be in extra trouble – Jones may be extra dangerous when playing with something to prove.
What do the Bears have going for them? Two things – they’ve looked consistently better every week, and their injury report is completely clear. I don’t know if most Bears fans can believe what they just read. The Chicago Bears are completely healthy and will be going into Monday night with a complete team. As far as looking better goes, there still might not be a ton of change that is quantifiable, but the Bears’ improvement is still evident. Did they suffer an embarrassing 12-7 loss versus the Washington Commanders last week? Yes. However, did they look good while doing it? Also yes. The Bears seemed to move down the field with relative ease, a feat they have been struggling with. However, then problems arose when entering the red zone, where the team completely floundered, and on three trips to the red zone, came away with no points. So, now that the Bears seem to understand how to move the ball, maybe they’ve put more focus on polishing the red zone offense and will surprise everybody Monday night. In their game versus the Commanders, only a couple plays needed to go differently for the doomed Thursday night matchup to go from an embarrassing loss to a dominant showing. The pressure is on for the Chicago Bears to show their spirit, and prove they come back despite all the setbacks.
What do the Patriots have going for them? Aside from a QB with a chip on his shoulder, they also have a stout run game and some superstition on their side. On the ground, the Patriots as a team have rushed for 788 yards and eight touchdowns, including two games with three rushing touchdowns each. Guess what the Bears defense struggles with? The run game. The Patriots could certainly capitalize on this opportunity, and it may not even matter who they have playing quarterback. On the other hand, Belicheck raised some eyebrows across social media this week, as when asked about this matchup, he praised the Bears and numerous players, by name, for over seven minutes straight in a 1000+ word monologue. Shouldn’t that bode well for the Bears, having our opponent believe there is a lot to praise? Not really. It is a long running joke among NFL fans that for some reason, Belichick always seems to give more praise to teams considered easy opponents, and that normally this means the Patriots are beyond prepared to go up against Chicago. The Bears may be doomed.
So, where does that leave us for Monday night’s matchup? The Patriots have the edge, simply because they have a winning past to back them up. They are coming off a hot streak, and some of their best strengths play against Chicago’s biggest weaknesses. On the other hand, the Bears are completely healthy, and while they’ve shown they can move the ball, they haven’t proved they can score. While all it may take is a few little adjustments to become a dangerous team, they haven’t proved it, and in terms of the past, offer up no precedent to have us believe they are a red zone threat. If the Bears have really pulled themselves together, we can expect a close game. However, if they haven’t, the Patriots are looking to walk right into their third straight win.
Prediction: 27 – 17 Patriots
