Six Takeaways From Patriots’ Dominant Victory Over Bears

The Patriots waltzed back into the win column Sunday, earning a dominant 19-3 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.

New England was aided in the win, as the home team’s offense was stuck in the mud and routinely earned boos from its fans. It’s not the kind of season where we can nitpick victories, however, so we’ll focus on the surprising amount of positive takeaways from a solid afternoon in The Windy City:

IT COULD ALWAYS BE WORSE
Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt hasn’t earned many fans in his first season calling plays. Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, however, has earned enemies.

Chicago’s offense put forth one of the most putrid performances we’ve seen from an opposing unit this season, finishing with just 142 total yards and 1-for-14 on third downs. Waldron, who is in his first season as play-caller for this unit, was thoroughly out-schemed on the “money downs” and did nothing to cover up for their litany of injuries on the offensive line.

Van Pelt hasn’t been good. Waldron has been worse.

OFFENSIVELY, IT WAS ENOUGH
Van Pelt hasn’t been great, but he did have a decent afternoon, all things considered.

The Patriots put a clear emphasis on establishing the run, and they did that with Rhamondre Stevenson, JaMycal Hasty, Antonio Gibson and Drake Maye combining for 145 yards on the ground. Ja’Lynn Polk’s touchdown came on a nifty design, where he slipped out from a blocking assignment that left everyone in Chicago confused. Kayshon Boutte was showcased. Hunter Henry was used as a pawn, which opened up opportunities for Austin Hooper.

AVP gets a gold star if only this once.

EXECUTING? IN THIS ECONOMY?
New England looked damn-near competent throughout the game, but one moment that showed legitimate growth came at the conclusion of the first half.

The Patriots got the ball back with just 0:35 remaining before halftime and decided to push it down the field to extend their lead to double-digits. Maye and Kayshon Boutte, who have developed quite the rapport in recent weeks, connected on a deep crosser in which Boutte got down, turned around to find a referee and got the ball spotted so they could kill the clock. Joey Slye then hit his ensuing field goal attempt as the clock expired.

Jerod Mayo’s team has been criticized for its execution issues to this point in the season, but that was a nice moment.

BRENDEN SCHOOLER? WHO KNEW?
Schooler’s value has quite literally always been tied to special teams, but that might change moving forward…

The Patriots deployed their specialist in a new role Sunday, calling for him to serve as the “spy” on Williams in obvious passing situations. Schooler is good at pretty much everything asked of him, so it should come as no surprise that he recorded a drive-killing sack in the third quarter. New England would be wise to continue finding ways to allow the 27-year-old to contribute.

Keion White, Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings, Dell Pettus, Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and Deatrich Wise Jr. also got home, but none were cooler than Schooler’s.

PERSONNEL TINKERING
New England made a somewhat puzzling personnel decision during the game, electing to make Kendrick Bourne the only active receiver who didn’t see the field. The Patriots reportedly were “prioritizing playing time” for young players like Polk and Javon Baker, but K.J. Osborn got some run, and that doesn’t make much sense on a surface level.

Did they want to give Osborn one last shot to showcase himself before a release? Does Bourne still need time for that injured knee? It’s a weird one, for sure.

CAN IT CONTINUE?
The Patriots still shouldn’t be favored to win many games moving forward, but this step in the right direction should be capitalized on. The Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts are next up on the schedule, and that stretch could go a long way in defining the season.