Scott Zolak: Patriots win over the Bears is the type that could save jobs
On Monday’s edition of Zolak & Bertrand, Scott Zolak touches on why the Patriots win over the Bears is the type that could save jobs when you look back at the end of the season.
Just look at the Bears…
Scott Zolak:
I saw growth yesterday. I saw routes that weren’t run all year. You know, now we’re starting to incorporate those tight ends on those deep drags, like here we go. Saw a little bit of that in the preseason. We had different angles of bubble screens off play-action, stuff we haven’t seen. They say you know what, if we’re going to die, we’re going to die with the young guys. Kendrick Bourne, you had a bunch of catches last week. He caught the ball. It was ok. But you know what? We need to figure out what we’re doing with these young guys, and we need to get them going. And man, they tried to get them going. There was stuff like Pop Douglas on some of those spot routes, they weren’t running that all year. I saw different runs. I saw Demontre Jacobs pulling out on bubble screens, hitting guys in space. For a big guy to get out in space and hit a guy, one of those little DBs, that’s hard for a big guy to move and still make contact with them. That was a 17-yard pickup on a bubble screen with Douglas. That’s the stuff that should be hitting and clicking this time of year. It was what, 3-4 weeks ago when mutiny was supposedly happening. If that was happening, you would’ve lost your team by now and you would look like that other team. That team is done with their head coach. That team did not want to be there. I see the effort from New England, I see it week to week. It isn’t perfect. You come away pissed because they let a game or two go. That’s a good win for them yesterday on the road. Validates a lot of things for them.
Listen to the full segment!
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.
