The Patriots’ three-game win streak is over after they ran out of time and luck in their 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
But for a team that came in dealing with multiple injuries, including being down two starters on the offensive line, coach Mike Vrabel left Soldier Field feeling disappointed in the outcome, but not downtrodden about the resolve of his team going forward.
“We fought. I would say that we need to (force opponents to) turn the ball over and tackle better and those are fundamental skills. But I like the way they competed and we certainly gave ourselves a chance,” Vrabel said.
With left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) joining right guard Mike Onwenu (ankle) on injured reserve this week, the Patriots went with recent addition Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse in their places. Quarterback Drake Maye was sacked twice, but the 10th different offensive line combination the Patriots have used this season held up well.
Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 321 yards and two TDs and a rushing score. But after the loss he put the onus on himself to make better decisions, namely his costly second-quarter interception in the end zone when he was trying to complete a pass to tight end Eli Raridon. The Bears scored on their ensuing drive to take a 20-7 lead.
“I thought we battled the environment well,” Maye said. “And I thought we did some good things but didn’t execute at a high enough level to win.”
What’s working
Despite the loss, New England’s offense didn’t show much regression overall. Maye had the one interception, but it was was on a pass in the red zone.
What needs help
The running game took a step back. The Patriots rushed for just 70 yards after entering the night averaging 130.7 yards per game on the ground. Though they were playing catch-up for most of the night, it made the offense a lot more predictable in the second half, allowing the Bears to drop more players into coverage.
Stock up
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson. He finished with five catches for 93 yards, including pulling in a short pass from Maye and rumbling 48 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half to cut Chicago’s lead to 20-14. It marked his fifth career career TD reception.
Stock down
Rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas. Trailing 13-7 in the second quarter, Caleb Williams connected on a pass with Luther Burden for a 22-yard gain. But Jacas was called for roughing the passer for an extremely late hit on Williams. It added an additional 15 yards to give Chicago the ball on the New England 33. The Bears scored five plays later on a 24-yard TD pass from Williams to Burden.
Injuries
Safety Kevin Byard departed after he was checked out by trainers with 9:44 left in the second quarter before returning. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore departed late in the game with an undisclosed ailment.
Key number
Minus-7 — That’s the Patriots turnover differential through seven games. Only Indianapolis (minus-8 through six games) is worse.
Next steps
The Thursday night game gives the Patriots a little extra time to rest and prepare before visiting Miami on Nov. 1.
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Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press