5 Things: Rookie quarterbacks highlight Patriots-Bears matchup

• What each quarterback needs to show

  

  NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 03: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to playing a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

  A handful of starts into both quarterbacks’ careers, there’s still clear areas of improvement for both. Drake Maye faces a bit of a tougher challenge against the Bears’ fifth-ranked defense, with Williams facing the Patriots’ 21st ranked unit.

  For Maye, the main area of improvement is clear – he needs to be more careful with the football. In three and a quarter games Maye has given the ball away six times with four interceptions and two fumbles.

  “I’ve got to protect the football,” Maye said this week when asked where he’s looking to improve after four starts. “That’s the biggest thing. I think there’s times where my decision-making, whether it’s ball security in the pocket, and knowing when that timer goes off in my head, little things like that.”

  This is a Bears defense that will be able to capitalize if Maye missteps. Chicago has forced 15 turnovers this year, which is the fourth-most in the NFL.

  For Williams, it’s about finding some consistency eight games into his NFL career. He’s thrown for nine touchdowns this season and has multiple 300-yard games, but all came in a four-game stretch in late September and early October. In the two games since the Bears got back from their bye, Williams has completed a combined 49.2 percent of his passes for a total of 348 yards, throwing no touchdowns or picks. He’s also taken nine sacks.

  In order to prevent Williams from getting into a rhythm, the Patriots need to force him to stay in the pocket and make him create in-structure. “This guy is able to extend plays. He’s very athletic,” head coach Jerod Mayo said of Williams this week. “He’s elusive. He has great vision in the pocket, and I would say he scrambles more to make throws. Not as much – on the other side, you go against some quarterbacks in there, they’ll take off and get down the field. Not saying that he doesn’t do that, but he definitely does a good job keeping his eyes down the field and making those throws.”

  The coaching point against a player like that? “Keep playing. Keep playing,” Mayo replied when asked on Wednesday.

• Stopping the run

  

  Sep 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (33) reacts after making a stop against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

  One way for the Patriots to force Williams to operate more as a true drop back passer is to keep the Bears behind the sticks and off schedule offensively. That means stopping the run.

  That’s been easier said than done for the Patriots this year. Since Week 5 the Pats have allowed the third-most rushing yards in the league (835), trailing only the New Orleans Saints (843) and Carolina Panthers (839). They’re allowing 4.8 yards per carry during that stretch, which is bottom 10 in the NFL in that span.

  This will be a ‘weakness-on-weakness’ matchup, with the Bears struggling to run the ball to this point in the season. They rank 26th in the NFL averaging 4.0 yards per carry.

  On top of that, the Bears’ offensive line is banged up this week. Three starters are on the injury report, with tackle Darnell Wright missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury, tackle Braxton Jones missing practice Wednesday and being limited on Thursday with a knee injury, and guard Teven Jenkins being limited on Wednesday with a knee injury.

  That should set up a get-right game for the Patriots’ run defense. Can they manage it? If not, Bears running back D’Andre Swift has the skill to be a major factor in this one.

• Establishing the run

  

  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: Rhamondre Stevenson #38 of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during the second half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on October 27, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

  Flip the team with the possession of the ball, and it’s the same situation on the ground on the other side. As the Patriots try once again to jumpstart a run game that has gone ice cold since Week 6, the Bears’ 29th-ranked run defense (averaging 5.0 yards per carry against per game) should give them a chance.

  Right now the Patriots’ biggest issue is a lack of push up front. Over the past three games, Rhamondre Stevenson has more yards after contact (83) than total rushing yard from scrimmage (83). Forcing the running backs to consistently create before even getting back to the line is not sustainable.

  So far this season the Bears’ run stoppers have come mostly from the second level with linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds leading the team in run stuffs. That means if the Patriots can move the Bears’ defensive front, there should be chances for Stevenson and the other backs to make potential tacklers miss in space.

  Last week the Arizona Cardinals ran for 213 yards against the Bears, at 6.3 yards per carry. They did that with quarterback Kyler Murray rushing for just six total yards. For a Patriots team whose rushing production has been almost exclusively QB scrambles in recent weeks, there should be something there to tap into.

• More offensive line changes

  

  Dec 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots guard Mike Onwenu (71) blocks against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

  What group of five offensive linemen for the Patriots will be trying to move the Bears’ front back (and protecting Drake Maye)? Based on practice it looks like we could see a new group start up front for the eighth time in 10 games this year.

  Two weeks ago the Patriots started a group (from left to right) of Vederian Lowe, Michael Jordan, Ben Brown, Mike Onwenu, and Demontrey Jacobs. That is the only group to start multiple games for the Patriots so far this year. However, despite them all being healthy it looks like the team will change things up for the second week in a row.

  In the latest change, Mike Onwenu could be moving from right guard to left guard – this third position of the year after starting the season at right tackle. Rookie Layden Robinson would go back to starting at right guard, where he was last week before getting benched. That drops Michael Jordan – who has struggled the last few weeks – from the lineup.

  This is a lot of movement for Onwenu, who is the Patriots’ best offensive lineman. But as they try to figure things out this year, both in terms of run blocking and pass protection, the answer often seems to be moving him to whatever the biggest weak spot certainly is.

  “The continuity would be great. We’re just not – we don’t have that luxury right now,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt shared on Thursday. “Mike’s our best offensive lineman, so we’re going to put him where he can be successful for us. He’s been very versatile. We’ll see what happens with this week. But,I feel really good about Mike’s play. He needs to be available wherever he needs to be. So if he plays left guard, he plays right guard, he plays right tackle – again, he’s our best offensive lineman. We’re going to put him in an area where we need him.”

  Onwenu hasn’t played left guard since 2021, when he did so briefly in a year that saw him play four total positions. On Thursday he shared practicing this week has helped as he gets set for a potential return to the position. “It is pretty much the opposite [of playing right guard], just body mechanics,” Onwenu explained. “As long as I think about it mentally, I should be all right physically.”

  The other thing this move does is get Robinson back in the lineup. Last week the coaching staff seemed to make a point of getting him on the field, after he had played just 19 offensive snaps in the previous four weeks, limited mostly due to injury.

  Now, Robinson gets the nod over Sidy Sow, a true left guard who showed promise last year. That change seemingly reflects how the team views the two players. It will be interesting to see – if Robinson gets benched again – who the next man up is.

  Plus, as Van Pelt mentioned, this change once again cuts into the Patriots’ ability to build continuity up front. In particular Onwenu and Jacobs had seemingly built up some rapport on the right side, and now the Patriots will have two players with a combined 11 career starts over there.

  Overall, the Patriots are taking a risk here. These moves could jump-start the Patriots’ run game and/or lead to improved pass protection, just based on how the team has struggled in that regard recently. At the same time, the continued moving pieces prevent any one group from hitting its ceiling, and the more the Patriots tinker, the less time they have to establish a unit.

• Special teams consistency

  

  NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 03: Joey Slye #13 of the New England Patriots kicks a field goal against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

  There certainly have been some high highs for the Patriots’ special teams under first-year head coach Jeremy Springer, but they’re still looking to replicate that all-around great game they had in Week 1. Last week was a roller coaster, as Marcus Jones had a couple of big returns, but Joey Slye missed a field goal and Bryce Baringer shanked a punt that ended up going 15 yards.

  This week, against a team that has had many similar issues offensively and defensively, special teams could provide a key margin to get ahead. Can that well-rounded game come this week?

  One spot the Bears could be especially vulnerable is on kickoffs. Chicago has allowed 18 returns this year, which is the ninth-most in the NFL. On those kickoffs, they’ve allowed 29.3 yards per return.

  Another thing to keep an eye on is the Bears’ special teams penalty issues. Chicago has been called for 11 special teams penalties this year, which is tied for the third-most in the NFL (by comparison, the Patriots have been called for six).