Reiss: Patriots defense was ferocious on pass rush
On Monday’s Toucher & Hardy program, ESPN’s Mike Reiss joined the show to recap the New England Patriots’ impressive 19-3 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Mike Reiss: Patriots Defense Dominates
Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.
Hardy: I think I want to hang a lot of it on his offensive line for Caleb Williams and the way he played yesterday. But watching the Patriots’ defense and some of the issues they gave him, as you know, the credit got to be given there too. The nine sacks alone are eye-popping. The Patriots defense was all over Williams from the jump, and they didn’t let up all game.
Mike Reiss: That’s right, Hardy. You definitely must give credit to the Patriots. And I’m rewatching the game right now. I was watching a play at the start of the second quarter, it was a third-down play. The Patriots defense was excellent on third downs in this game.
The Patriots held the Bears to 1-of-14 on 3rd downs.
But the play I’m thinking of came on third-and-three. It’s a quick swing pass out to the right to DJ Moore. Keenan Allen is a lead blocker against Jalen Hawkins. I was to say to you guys, “Who do you like in this matchup?” You’d probably pick Keenan Allen, right? That’s a really good player.
However, Hawkins just wills himself past Allen and makes a tackle for the stop. The Bears do have good talent, but the Patriots matched it. I think chemistry is also a big part of it too. DJ Moore, and Keenan Allen, are good receivers. But are they helping uplift the young quarterback or are they placing more pressure on him? How are these veteran receivers responding to Williams when he doesn’t get them the ball? So, I think talent and chemistry on the Patriots defense helped contribute to the win.
Jon Wallach: What else did the Patriots do differently on defense yesterday that they hadn’t tried before? Brenden Schooler was one thing because you never see him on the field and he was an impact player yesterday. And even with all the sacks, I think DeMarcus Covington changed things up a bit.
Reiss: I think so too, Jon. I mean, the defense got nine sacks yesterday. They were just ferocious on the pass rush yesterday.
Segment Audio
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Patriots Ups & Downs: Who stood out in a win over the Bears?
The New England Patriots improved to 3-7 on the 2024 season with a 19-3 road win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field. Here’s who was graded UP or DOWN based on their on-field performance…
UP: DE Keion White
It’s hard to pin down one single player to credit for the Patriots’ dominating defense on Sunday, because they played unselfish football as a unit. White is emblematic of that. Too often playing undisciplined or caught out of position, White flipped the script on himself in this game, as he consistently disrupted the Bears up front and allowed his teammates to eat, without being a negative.
White did get a sack of his own, plus four tackles, two total QB hits, and a pass breakup at the line. When he’s at his best, White can be a true impact player, and just hasn’t shown that consistently so far in his sophomore year. He deserves credit for an excellent 60 minutes of football in Chicago.
DOWN: WR K.J. Osborn
Sunday was a day for the Patriots’ younger players to shine, which made it a little surprising to see Osborn play early on and get the opportunity he did. What did he do with that opportunity? Run out of bounds then back in before making a would-be touchdown catch, making it an illegal touching penalty. Osborn ended up with no catches on one target.
Nobody expected Osborn to be a game-changing receiver for the Patriots this season, but he was certainly supposed to be a steady veteran presence. He’s been anything but steady, and Sunday may mark his last opportunity to make a real impact on the offense.
UP: RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Rhamondre Stevenson (Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images)
Drake Maye certainly had his moments on offense, but the running game was key to the win for the Patriots. It made the Bears stack the box at the goal line, which opened up Maye and receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for the play-action fake and the pass that proved to be the game’s only touchdown. Stevenson averaged an unspectacular 3.7 yards per carry, but once again, he ran hard and made it work with still-imperfect blocking.
Stevenson’s early success on the ground, and the Patriots’ strong clock-killing game in the fourth quarter, played a big role in securing the win. We’ll see if they can keep it going in Week 11, but it was a solid game for Stevenson and for the unit.
DOWN: RT Demontrey Jacobs
The Patriots delivered a great all-around win, so you sort of have to nitpick to find players deserving of DOWN ratings. Jacobs gets a down because he committed a false start penalty that stalled a third-quarter drive, while the Patriots were still trying to build on what was a 10-point lead at the time. Jacobs is an undrafted player in his first NFL game experience this season, so it’s not necessarily his fault that he’s being trusted as a starting right tackle right now. But that was a penalty he’d like to have back.
Nov 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. (David Banks-Imagn Images)
DOWN: C Ben Brown
Brown’s snapping was erratic in this game, which seemed to contribute to the Patriots’ sloppiness on offense in the first half. He’s had a shaky few games since being a pleasant surprise to start, as the Patriots’ third starting center who signed midseason. He’s another one who can’t really be faulted for being counted on in such an important role, but Brown can definitely snap the ball better than he did on Sunday.
Nov 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. (David Banks-Imagn Images)
UP: DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 10: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball past the tackle attempt by Jeremiah Pharms Jr. #98 of the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Soldier Field on November 10, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Easily the best game of Pharms’ young career. The Patriots’ edge pressure opened up space for Pharms to operate, and he stuffed the stat sheet with a sack, three tackles for loss, and five total tackles. Given an opportunity to show out for a Patriots coaching staff committing to young players, Pharms came up huge and helped the team get a nice road win. He’s earned himself increased playing time going forward.
DOWN: LB Joe Giles-Harris
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 19: Joe Giles-Harris #44 of the New England Patriots in action during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 19, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Giles-Harris earned an elevation from the practice squad to the main roster for Sunday, and did log a QB hit. But he gets a DOWN because he was flagged for an illegal formation on a third-quarter punt, wiping out what would’ve been a kick to the Bears’ 16-yard line. The Patriots had to re-kick, and the ensuing punt ended in a touchback. Giles-Harris may not make a lot of plays, but he absolutely needs to play clean football in order to stay on the field.
