Three Studs, Three Duds From Patriots’ Gritty Win Over Bears

After a heartbreaking Week 9 loss in Tennessee, the Patriots bounced back with a 19-3 win over the Bears in Chicago.

New England’s offense was far from spectacular, but it made enough timely plays and was aided by a great defensive effort. Caleb Williams and company were limited to their lowest point total of the season to date.

Here are three studs and three duds from the Week 10 tilt at Soldier Field.

Studs
Patriots pass rush
After generating very little pressure on Mason Rudolph in Nashville, the Patriots made life hell for Williams. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick was sacked a season-high nine times and was held to 120 passing yards. The wealth was spread out, too, as seven different Patriots logged at least one sack.

Patriots run defense
A big reason for New England’s Week 9 loss was its inability to contain Tony Pollard and company. It was a different story in Chicago, where the Bears were limited to a mere 73 rushing yards. D’Andre Swift had a very quiet day by his standards as he logged only 59 yards on the ground and didn’t contribute at all as a pass-catcher out of the backfield (one catch for 6 yards).

Young wideouts
The Patriots wanted to give more opportunities to their young playmakers in Week 10 and they followed through. DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte led the way for the visitors with four catches apiece, and Ja’Lynn Polk scored the game’s lone touchdown — the first of his young NFL career.

Duds
Hunter Henry
Henry entered Sunday leading the Patriots in nearly every major receiving category, but he was a nonfactor against the Bears. The veteran tight end was limited to only one catch for 14 yards, which marked his first game without multiple grabs since late November of last year.

K.J. Osborn
We’re not sure why Osborn even played, but he basically received the same de facto DNP as Kendrick Bourne. The fourth-year pro, for whatever reason, suited up after he wasn’t moved at the NFL trade deadline and predictably didn’t catch a single pass.

Antonio Gibson
It wasn’t the biggest deal that Gibson only logged 26 yards on five carries, as lead back Rhamondre Stevenson carried the weight with 74 yards on 20 carries. But it was somewhat interesting that JyMcal Hasty (six) received more carries than New England’s No. 2 back. Perhaps we’ll see a shuffling of the RB depth chart in the weeks to come.