Bears vs Patriots: Breaking Down New England's Game Plan

The New England Patriots thought they had survived and advanced after a 27-25 Week 7 win over the New York Jets. It would turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory. Their best pass-rusher, Chandler Jones, suffered a hip injury during the game and is now out for a month.

With Jones out, the Patriots have brought in some reinforcements on both sides of the ball. The offensive line may be close to regaining their full strength, while hybrid defensive end/linebacker Akeem Ayers was added via a trade with the Tennessee Titans to try and assuage any lingering fears about Jones' untimely departure.

Here is what New England will need to do to parlay some pockets of health and a new toy on defense into a win against the visiting Chicago Bears.

Patriots Defense vs. Bears Offense

While all-world receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery get a lot of attention—and rightly so—the Patriots need to focus on stopping the No. 1 option, running back Matt Forte. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia touched on that tough task:

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We have to do a great job to stop him in the run game first and foremost. He does an excellent job of burst and explosion through the line of scrimmage. He has incredibly quick feet and some good quickness to get to the edge and has edge ability. Really a struggle across the board in the run as far as being able to attack you inside and outside or plays that are designed to go inside that then bounce outside.

So, certainly an issue as far as the run game is concerned first and foremost and then obviously in the passing game. Really does a great job of getting into his routes, getting away from defenders, working off of leverage and being a really good utility tool for the quarterback to get the ball to in tight situations.

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New England can't stack the box or go too heavy in their personnel or Forte will eat them up through the air. The Bears will use him like Shane Vereen and get mismatches outside, leaving overmatched linebackers clawing at his heels in coverage.

With Jones and Jerod Mayo out with injuries, pressures are going to be at a premium. Darrelle Revis and Co. can cover for a long time, but Jay Cutler can't be allowed to sit in the pocket with clear passing lanes. The Patriots defensive front needs to make him move off his spot—even if they can't get to the passer.

Look for Brandon Browner and Revis to try and disrupt the timing of Marshall and Jeffery on every play. If either receiver gets a clean release, they are going to be a big problem down the field.

Patriots Offense vs. Jets Defense

Unlike the Bears, the Patriots offense hasn't given opposing defenses many problems down the field so far in 2014. That may change on Sunday because Brian Tyms—and perhaps even Aaron Dobson—could get some action against the porous Chicago secondary, which will likely be missing Charles Tillman and Kyle Fuller, their best two players.

If he gets a chance, Tom Brady says he feels more comfortable throwing the deep ball this year: 

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I think we worked a lot on that, and there are mental and physical issues to that, too. Typically, when the ball is in the air longer, there's more of an opportunity for the defensive players to get to it. There are mental blocks that I've had about wanting the ball in the air for a long period of time. But yeah, that's definitely something we've worked on the last few years, and it seems to really be paying off also.

The longer the ball is in the air your guy has a better opportunity to maybe track it and find it and make plays down the field. Sometimes you've got to squeeze it in; sometimes you've got to put a lot of air on it. I think, like I said, there's a balance to that, too. 

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In order to let deep routes develop, the offensive line is going to have to hold off deft pass-rushers like Willie Young and Jared Allen. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer will need to be at their best.

If Bryan Stork and Dan Connolly can go, that will aid in moving Jay Ratliff and Stephen Paea when running the ball. Those two will make it tough sledding for Jonas Gray and Shane Vereen inside.

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What They're Saying

Bears coach Marc Trestman and Brandon Browner have each spent time in the Canadian Football League. Trestman gave some interesting insight into his development north of the border:

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The fact that teams can run to the line of scrimmage had to help his game and the fact that defensive players, even when they're in bump-and-run have to be a yard off the ball. So, there's quite a big difference there in terms of the bump-and-run technique. It's much more difficult to play bump-and-run in the CFL because you don't have to have a stationary receiver. You can have a receiver who can run vertically at you. That's not easy to do. That's a whole different kind of technique.

When Brandon can line up and play bump-and-run without having to adjust to that and play tighter certainly is an advantage with his size and length. But he was an extremely hard playing player. I remember him not only as a very good corner obviously but also a special teams player. He did a very good job on special teams as well, played hard. 

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So far this season, Browner has mainly shown up on the stat sheet due to his holding penalties. He'll need to hope for lenient officiating when matched up against Marshall and Jeffery on Sunday. If he doesn't get some help over the top from Devin McCourty, he'll need to have a hand on them for the whole play.

Tale of the Tape

Quarterback

Jay Cutler has a lot of weapons, but he rarely seems to utilize them smartly for a full 60 minutes. He may have a better arm than Tom Brady at this point of his career, but Brady's ball security triumphs in the long run.

Verdict: Patriots

Running Backs

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Shane Vereen and Matt Forte are great receivers, but Forte's ability to finish runs and pick up extra yardage on each play puts him over the top. Jonas Gray wasn't bad in his debut, but he has yet to prove he can be a factor.

Verdict: Bears

Wide Receivers

Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell have played well this year, but Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery have physical traits that New England hasn't seen since Randy Moss left town.

Verdict: Bears

Tight Ends

A combination of Martellus Bennett and Dante Rosario would have given the Week 1 version of Rob Gronkowski a run for his money. A healthy Gronkowski and an ailing Bennett make this a blowout for New England.

Verdict: Patriots

Offensive Line

Neither line has been superior this year, but Kyle Long and Brian de la Puente have played the best of either team. If the Patriots are at full strength—not a given—this may be a wash.

Verdict: Bears

Defensive Line

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Without Chandler Jones, the Patriots defensive line has a glaring question mark lining up opposite Rob Ninkovich. Jared Allen and Willie Young, however, are ready to roll.

Verdict: Bears

Linebackers

Lance Briggs and Jon Bostic can't match the athleticism of Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower, although they are stout against the run. How well the linebackers play in nickel could decide this contest.

Verdict: Push

Defensive Backs

This is where the Patriots will be tested and where they will win the game. Revis and Co. need to come up big and pick up an ailing front seven. The Bears will miss Kyle Fuller dearly if he isn't able to go. He was easily the best defensive back on the team as a rookie.

Verdict: Patriots

Special Teams

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Stephen Gostkowski and Robbie Gould—a former Patriot—have both missed just one field-goal attempt on the season. Pat O'Donnell and Ryan Allen have both been adequate punting the ball, but Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola returning punts and kicks could provide a big play for New England.

Verdict: Patriots

Overall: Push 4-4-1

On paper, the Patriots and Bears are very closely matched. If New England's secondary can keep the Bears from scoring on a couple of possessions, Tom Brady should be able to put up enough points to come out victorious.

Wednesday's Injury Report Analysis (via Patriots.com)

Did Not Practice: Chandler Jones

Limited: Dan Connolly, Dominique Easley, Nate Ebner, Cameron Fleming, Matthew Slater, Bryan Stork

Full: Tom Brady, Brandon Browner, Jamie Collins, Dont'a Hightower, Devin McCourty

Chandler Jones' absence is huge, but the anticipated return of Bryan Stork and Dan Connolly does help. Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower seem to be on the mend, so Akeem Ayers should be able to work into the defense as more of a situational pass-rusher instead of being thrown in at the deep end.

If Cameron Fleming is able to suit up, that could free up a roster spot for some additional help on the defensive line by cutting Chris Barker.

Tight end Martellus Bennett (hamstring) and star rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller (hand) did not practice for the Bears. Each would be a huge loss to their side of the football

Stats and figures courtesy of NFL.com.