Patriots search for first win away from home
The New England Patriots are facing the Chicago Bears Sunday. At last, there is a 1 p.m. game for Patriots fans. Sunday is the only 1 p.m. game in a five-week stretch.
The Bears are typical of most NFL teams. Some weeks they are good – other weeks they not so good. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been inconsistent, but the Patriots defense is the only defense so far to make Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles look good.
The Patriots are also looking for their first road win of the season. They looked bad in two road losses to Jacksonville and Detroit in September when they didn’t have wide receivers Josh Gordon or Julian Edelman.
Head coach Bill Belichick dismissed the idea Wednesday that the Patriots face a greater challenge than other teams because teams treat games against the Patriots as their Super Bowl.
He said, “I don’t really worry about the other teams. I worry about our team. I want to try to get our team ready to go on Sunday. That’s what our goal is this week. I’m sure the Bears will be ready to go. I’m sure they’ll play well. We expect them to play their best game. They probably will, and so that’s what we’re getting ready for.”
Other than Jacksonville, the Bears defense is the best the Patriots have faced this year. The Bears can rush the passer and have two play making safeties. The Bears could hold the Patriots to 21 points and the way the Patriots defense is playing it is possible for the Bears to score 30 if Mitchell Trubisky plays well. The speed of the Bears wide receivers could give the struggling Pats secondary trouble. The Pats though will be motivated to earn their first road win and show that they are a mentally tough team. Ultimately, this game comes down to whether the Bears can slow Tom Brady down – something no team has been able to do in three weeks.
SERIES HISTORY: 13th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 9-3. Tom Brady is 4-0 against the Chicago Bears including two wins in Chicago. Brady’s most memorable moment against the Bears occurred in 2006 when he evaded Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. Brady joked afterwards that he could tell his grandchildren that he evaded Urlacher. The Bears beat the Patriots in the 1986 Super Bowl 46-10. The last time these two teams met, Brady’s Patriots blew out the Bears 51-23 in Foxborough.