Patriots Report Card: How Drake Maye, Defense Graded Vs. Bears

The New England Patriots earned their most complete victory of the season when they defeated the Chicago Bears by a 19-3 verdict Sunday.

The New England offense and defense showed improvements, as did Jerod Mayo’s coaching staff.

Here’s how each group graded following the win at Soldier Field:

OFFENSE
Quarterback: B
Drake Maye’s stat line won’t catch as much attention given his passing (15-for-25, 184 yards, touchdown, interception) and rushing numbers (four carries, 24 yards) were less noteworthy than recent performances. But Maye didn’t need to be Superman, and that’s not a bad thing. The third overall pick still outplayed Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams on the field and showed the intangible traits — leadership, resilience, mental toughness — Williams didn’t.

Wide receivers: B
Young wideouts like DeMario Douglas (four catches, five targets, 50 yards) and Kayshon Boutte (four catches, six targets, 47 yards) stepped up and got involved on QB-friendly routes. Rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk caught his second touchdown of the season after a struggle-filled stretch. Boutte’s 23-yard reception and heads-up play in the final seconds of the first half showed development, too.

Running backs: B-
Patriots running backs averaged 3.9 yards per carry (31 rushes, 120 yards), strong improvement from previous weeks when Maye carried the load on the ground. New England couldn’t capitalize on the majority of red zone opportunities (1-for-5) but converted a crucial third-and-1 run on its lone touchdown romp. Rhamondre Stevenson led the way with 20 carries for 74 yards while JaMycal Hasty (six carries, 20 yards) appeared to jump Antonio Gibson (five carries, 26 yards) on the depth chart.

Tight ends: B-
Once again, a Patriots tight end led the team in receiving yards. While typical standout Hunter Henry tallied a season-low one catch, Austin Hooper caught three of the four balls thrown his way for 64 yards — the lone target not caught being an ugly interception by Maye. Hooper jumpstarted New England’s first scoring drive with a 28-yard reception on a deep ball from Maye. The production from that group continues to be key.

Offensive line: C+
The Patriots were better up front. New England’s offensive line deserves credit for the 4.1-yard-per-rush average and allowed just one sack. Pro Football Focus credited the Patriots for 13 pressures allowed with right guard Mike Onwenu and left tackle Vederian Lowe each allowing four, which leaves room for improvement. The Patriots definitely didn’t look as bad as the Bears, though.

DEFENSE:
Defensive line: A-
New England sacked Williams nine (!) times and was better stopping the run (3.7 yards per rush). The Patriots registered 12 pressures on Williams, six of those coming on the interior. Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (sack, three tackles for loss) had his best game in a Patriots uniform while Anfernee Jennings (two sacks), Deatrich Wise Jr. (two sacks) and Keion White (sack) also were productive.

Linebackers: A-
Jahlani Tavai had another impactful performance as he recorded the defense’s best coverage grade (allowed two catches on 33 coverage snaps) and fourth-best pass rushing grade. Tavai and the ‘backers deserve credit for their contributions in the pass rush and for limiting D’Andre Swift to 3.7 yards per attempt with no carry more than nine yards.

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Cornerbacks: A
While New England’s secondary benefited from the relentless pass rush, the Bears still have three talented wideouts and they combined to do next to nothing Sunday. The Patriots limited Keenan Allen (five catches, 44 yards), Rome Odunze (three catches, 23 yards) and DJ Moore (three catches, 24 yards) to fewer than 100 yards combine. Christian Gonzalez allowed one catch on three targets for 18 yards.

Safeties: A–
Brenden Schooler, who almost exclusively plays on special teams and never on defense, was New England’s highest-graded defender and pass-rusher in five defensive snaps. DeMarcus Covington’s defense used Schooler as a spy for Williams and it paid off as a nice wrinkle for the group. Undrafted rookie safety Dell Pettus, the fourth-best graded defender, put together a nice game as well.

Special teams: A-
While New England’s red area woes weren’t good for the offense, but kicker Joey Slye made sure to put points on the board with four field goals. Bryce Baringer flipped the field after a 75-yard punt (!) and Marcus Jones set up the Patriots near midfield after a 24-yard punt return in the final minute of the first half.

Coaching: B+
New England’s coaching staff took a major step forward. The Patriots showed the ability to game-plan and find advantages while going up against a team with a more talented roster. It was a major source of contention the previous nine games, and New England improved on it in Chicago. They showed new things on offense and defense, and players proved there’s no quit on Jerod Mayo’s staff — something that can’t be said about the Bears.