The Patriots’ win over the Bears might best be described as a reminder.
Of how they want to play.
Of how they can play.
Jahlani Tavai admitted as much post-game, after his defense held the Bears to a single third-down conversion and dropped Caleb Williams for nine sacks. Of course, those numbers are a reflection of Chicago’s discombobulated offense and disastrous offensive line as much as the Patriots’ defense. But the Pats’ plan — clogging Williams’ scrambling lanes and playing 71% man coverage on passing downs — was sound, and their execution near flawless Sunday.
Williams finished with 69 net passing yards. The Bears had zero explosive plays. The Pats missed two tackles, and nothing else.
Offensively, Drake Maye and Co. reaffirmed their identity. They pounded out five yards, then five more yards, six yards and five yards again on their opening run plays. They rushed for 144 yards total. Maye also ripped deep completions off play-action, and hit another play-action throw for a touchdown.
That is the offense that was promised.
Lately, the Patriots appear to be turning a corner by returning to the same wells. Three weekends ago, the Pats toughed out another win by playing a ton of man coverage, running the ball and out-coaching the Jets in-game. Were it not for a lost overtime period in Tennessee, we’re talking about a three-game win streak.
Now, there’s no question the Patriots’ level of competition has cratered during this stretch. The Jets, Titans and Bears might all join them in the top 10 of the draft next April. But it’s no accident the Pats are playing their best while playing this way.
Sunday’s 16-point margin of victory was by far their largest this season and marked progress. Real progress, with no promise of anything beyond last Sunday, but a sure sign of something new. And that, for a once 1-6 football team, can be celebrated.
Here’s what else the film revealed about the Patriots’ latest win:
Drake Maye
15-of-25 for 184 yards, TD, INT
Accurate throw percentage: 71.4%
Under pressure: 3-of-10 for 21 yards, sack
Against the blitz: 4-of-6 for 33 yards, TD
Behind the line: 3-of-3, 27 yards
0-9 yards downfield: 8-of-9 for 71 yards, TD
10-19 yards downfield: 3-of-6 for 59 yards, INT
20+ yards downfield: 1-of-3 for 28 yards
Notes: Maye continues to test the limits of his talent, which cut both ways against the Bears.
He ripped a pinpoint 28-yard completion to Austin Hooper on a blanketed corner route to start the Patriots’ second drive and would have capped that series with a highlight-reel touchdown to K.J. Osborn had Osborn not stepped out of bounds first.
On the next possession, rolling right, Maye got caught trying to thread a sideline throw to Hooper for his only interception; a mindless pick that should have been a throwaway.
Later, Maye launched multiple deep incompletions while off-platform and fired behind Hunter Henry in the end zone for a dropped pick in the fourth quarter. He must protect the ball better. A sharper defense would have made Maye pay for risking a turnover on roughly one of every 10 dropbacks. Alas, these are not the Monsters of the Midway anymore.
On the positive side, Maye’s 23-yard frozen rope to Kayshon Boutte before halftime was essentially worth three points, as it set up a field goal try with one second left. That was his best throw of the day, and one few quarterbacks can make in a tight spot against tight coverage.
And in stark contrast to fellow rookie Caleb Williams, Maye handled pressure well pre- and post-snap. Despite facing a near identical pressure rate, Maye took eight fewer sacks, beat multiple blitzes with quick throws and finished with a pressure-to-sack ratio of 9.1; meaning he hardly let bad situations get worse. One other plus: his execution on play-action. Maye’s fakes and footwork on these plays are getting cleaner and cleaner, which helped him go 5-of-7 for 78 yards, a touchdown and an interception off play-action.
Critical areas
Turnovers: Patriots 1, Bears 0
Explosive play rate: Patriots 6.5%, Bears 0%
Success rate: Patriots 50%, Bears 32.2%
Red-zone efficiency: Patriots 1-5, Bears 0-1
Defensive pressure rate: Patriots 36.5%, Bears 37.9%
Offense
Game plan
Personnel breakdown: 47% of snaps in 11 personnel, 43% of snaps in 12 personnel, 8% of snaps in 13 personnel, 2% of snaps in 23 personnel.***
Personnel production: 46.4% success rate in 11 personnel, 53.8% success rate in 12 personnel, 80% success rate in 13 personnel, 100% success rate in 23 personnel.
First-down down play-calls: 68% run (70.5% success rate), 32% pass (37.5% success rate)
Play-action rate: 21.4%
The Pats hammered Chicago with a run-first game plan built around outside zone and a few complementary counters, including inside zone and pin-and-pull. Off of those runs, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt dialed up a higher rate of play-action than he had in most games this season. Most of the Pats’ play-action passes came out of two-tight end personnel, which also produced a 64% success rate on run plays.
That rushing success sharpened their play-action fakes and helped generate explosive plays. The Patriots’ two longest pass plays — 28-yard and 24-yard completions to tight end Austin Hooper — were both play-action throws from two-tight end personnel. Between their steady run game and downfield passing attack in that group, Sunday underscored what’s been clear about this offense for most of the year: when they’re bigger, they’re better.
(Not to mention, when they got inside the 5-yard line, Van Pelt played exclusively through multi-tight end personnel, something he also did at the end of regulation in Tennessee.)
Van Pelt also seemed to sense Chicago’s defense lacked eye discipline. The Pats threw a trick play, two screens, seven play-action passes and a delayed route for a touchdown against them in the tight red zone, where Ja’Lynn Polk confirmed the staff believed that was a Bears weakness.
Player stats
Broken tackles: RB Rhamondre Stevenson 3, RB Antonio Gibson 2, RB JaMycal Hasty 2
Pressure allowed: LT Vederian Lowe 3 (QB hit, 2 hurries), RT Demontrey Jacobs 3 (3 hurries), RG Mike Onwenu 2 (2 hurries), LG Michael Jordan (hurry), QB Drake Maye (QB hit), Team (hurry)
Run stuffs allowed: Team 3, Jacobs
Drops: N/A
Notes
- It wasn’t perfect, but Sunday featured some of the Patriots’ finest run-blocking all season. The offensive line cleared room on outside zone, inside zone, pin-and-pull and a few more downhill schemes near the goal line.
- Again, the Pats averaged more yards per carry running behind right guard Mike Onwenu (4.9) than their other linemen. That is the offense’s comfort zone, as when they burrowed behind Onwenu on the fourth-and-1 in the first half.
- Though left tackles Vederian Lowe showed plenty of fight in the run game, clearing room for two runs of 10-plus yards off the left side. Lowe did struggle in pass protection, though, allowing three pressures, which matched right tackle Demontrey Jacobs.
- The inability to protect Drake Maye on the same drives they found a rhythm running the ball kept the offense from scoring more points. Maye was also less effective under pressure than most games.
- Tight end Austin Hooper enjoyed his best game as a Patriot, picking up timely catches (three first-down conversions) and two explosive gains. Like Ja’Lynn Polk, he seemed to benefit from a Tyrique Stevenson-related coverage bust on his 24-yard gain in the second quarter.
- The only players to see more snaps than Hooper were Maye, the offensive linemen, Rhamondre Stevenson, Hunter Henry and Kayshon Boutte, the Pats’ new starting ‘X’ receiver. He finished with a team-high six targets, and his only two incomplete targets were questionable deep throws from Maye.
- Credit to Boutte for handing the ball to the referee immediately after his 23-yard catch on the penultimate offensive play of the first half. That allowed the Patriots to spike the ball with one second left and kick a field goal.
- DeMario Douglas fell to a 42% share of the offense’s snaps, a season low for games he’s been able to finish this year. That didn’t stop Douglas from contributing, however, as he led the team with 50 receiving yards. Alex Van Pelt, wisely, is featuring his best run-after-catch player on screens and other designer plays.
- The coaches clearly planned to rotate the wide receivers, as they balance long-term player development with playing their best players. Early on, they fielded Polk and Boutte in 12 personnel and Boutte, Douglas and K.J. Osborn in most three-receiver sets. Rookie Javon Baker finished with four offensive snaps.
Defense
Game plan
Personnel breakdown: 46% base defense, 33% dime, 13% three-corner nickel package, 8% quarter.****
Coverage breakdown: 71% man, 29% zone
Blitz rate: 31.7%
Blitz efficacy: 7.7% offensive success rate and 0.07 yards per play allowed
Two words: man up.
The Patriots were completely unafraid of Chicago’s weapons, blitzing on almost one-third of passing downs and playing one of their highest rates of man-to-man coverage in years. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington had his unit living out of Cover 1, a man-to-man defense with one safety deep. Covington called several variations of Cover 1, sometimes bringing five-man pressures, doubling Bears receiver D.J. Moore and/or leaving linebackers hovering over the middle in short zone.
Unlike most games this season, star cornerback Christian Gonzalez did not shadow any Bears receiver, but instead parked himself in the boundary (or short side of the field) and often worked in isolation. The Patriots even let inexperienced safeties Dell Pettus and Marte Mapu work against Cole Kmet, a good tight end, who went without a catch in the first half.
Credit also belongs to the defensive front for strong rush discipline against Williams. The Pats blitzed at an above-average rate, but never let Williams do damage as a scrambler, saving for one fourth-down conversion in the first half. Ultimately, Williams did himself in by refusing to check the ball down or throw it away, tendencies the Patriots banked on with their do-or-die game plan that yielded their most impressive performance of the season.
A hat tip to core special teamer Brenden Schooler, as well. Schooler served as a quarterback spy within the Patriots’ “Longhorn” package featuring seven defensive backs, a nod to the University of Texas, Schooler’s alma mater. Schooler finished with a sack and a quarterback hit in five snaps.
Player stats
Pressure: OLB Anfernee Jennings 4 (2 sacks, QB hit, hurry), DL Keion White 3 (sack, QB hit, hurry), DL Deatrich Wise (2 sacks), S Brenden Schooler 2 (sack, QB hit), LB Jahlani Tavai (sack), DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (sack), S Dell Pettus (sack), LB Joe Giles-Harris (QB hit)
Run stuffs: Team 2, DL Jaquelin Roy, Pharms Jr.
Pass deflections: DB Marcus Jones, Tavai, White, Wise, Pettus
Missed tackles: DL Keion White, CB Marco Wilson
Notes
- The nine sacks stole headlines Sunday night and Monday morning, but a game plan like this starts in the secondary. Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones made this performance possible with exceptionally sticky coverage.
- The Joneses allowed just three combined catches in man-to-man while working opposite Gonzalez. Marcus Jones even forced a turnover on downs with a fourth-down pass breakup in the fourth quarter.
- Perhaps more amazing, safeties Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus and Marte Mapu were all assets in coverage, despite starting the season as backups. Or, in Mapu’s case, injured.
- Hawkins shared most free safety snaps with Jonathan Jones, and together they helped steer Williams away from his preferred targets and deny any deep throws. The Pats allowed a single completion that traveled longer than 10 yards through the air.
- Part of that success is also owed to Brenden Schooler and the new “Longhorn” package, which features seven defensive backs and was only deployed in obvious passing situations. Schooler worked as a quarterback spy and effectively balanced his containment of Williams with real pressure.
- Of the nine sacks: Keion White, Jahlani Tavai and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. all earned theirs by winning 1-on-1. Others were clean-up sacks, coverage sacks or a function of Williams holding the ball too long.
- Up front, defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms was a wrecking ball. He was the only player to tally a pressure and run stuff, though White came close.
- Against the run, White and Anfernee Jennings regularly set strong edges, a key battleground against a Bears offense that emphasized outside hand-offs. The only long runs the Patriots allowed appeared to stem from failures to react to Chicago’s pre-snap motion.
- Jennings continues to emerge as a pillar of this defense, playing on all three downs and showing improvement as a pass rusher. The fact Jennings can play in any personnel grouping from 3-4 base defense — season-high 46% of snaps — to subpackages allows him to stay on the field in any situation.
- By contrast, Deatrich Wise played almost exclusively on passing downs, pass-rushing on 26 of his 28 snaps. Unlike the Patriots’ last game at Tennessee, Wise did well to contain the quarterback and helped flush Williams to his right without scrambling.
- Tying together a dominant defensive line and secondary was an all-around performance from Tavai. He and Gonzalez were the only two defenders never to leave the field, and he had a sack, pass breakup and a few run stops.
Special teams
- Marcus Jones remains an impact player, covering 24 yards on a punt return just before halftime. That play allowed the offense to start near midfield with 35 seconds left and eventually kick a field goal.
- The Patriots also had trouble covering punts, letting Bears returner De’Andre Carter go 38 yards on his only return before Chicago’s first possession. Carter didn’t return another punt all day.
- Kicker Joey Slye went 4-of-4 on field goal attempts, all within 40 yards. He also hit his only extra point and dealt with changing winds throughout the game.
- Punter Bryce Baringer dropped one of five punts inside Chicago’s 20-yard line, but flipped the field with a booming 75-yarder that he sailed through the end zone. Solid outing for Baringer in windy conditions.
Studs
Pass rush
It’s not right to single out one pass-rusher when seven of them collect sacks. This was a complete team effort, from coaches to defensive linemen, linebackers and even safeties, with Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler both collecting sacks in the second half.
Cornerbacks
Again, it’s hard to highlight one player. Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones and Marcus Jones allowed four catches combined in man-to-man coverage on a day when that’s basically all the Patriots played.
DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
The little-known defensive tackle disrupted the interior of Chicago’s line with a sack and a team-high two run stuffs. He had the best all-around game of any Patriots defender, with Jahlani Tavai a close second.
Duds
RT Demontrey Jcaobs
The Pats’ new starting right tackle got beat for a team-worst three hurries and one run stuff. Left tackle Vederian Lowe here was a close runner-up, allowing one QB hit and a couple hurries.
*Explosive plays are defined as runs of 12-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards.
**Success rate is an efficiency metric measuring how often an offense stays on schedule. A play is successful when it gains at least 40% of yards-to-go on first down, 60% of yards-to-go on second down and 100% of yards-to-go on third or fourth down.
***11 personnel = one running back, one tight end; 12 personnel = one running back, two tight ends; 13 personnel = one running back, three tight ends; 23 = two halfbacks, three tight ends.
****Base defense = four defensive backs; nickel = five; dime = six; quarter defense = seven.
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