Why Bears defense presents tough test for Maye, Patriots offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will make his fifth career NFL start Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It could very well end up being one of his toughest tests of the season.
That’s because the Bears have a surprisingly strong pass defense.
Chicago ranks No. 8 in passing yards allowed per game (191.3), No. 1 in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (five), No. 3 in opposing QB rating (77.2) and No. 5 in opposing QB completion percentage (61.8). The Bears pass rush ranks No. 11 in sacks with 23.
Here’s a look at how the Bears pass defense has performed against each quarterback it has faced entering Week 10:
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Maye gave a scouting report of the Bears defense earlier this week.
“I think the Bears’ defense, they’re always going to be a physical defense,” Maye told reporters at his Wednesday press conference. “They’re good up front. They have some good edge guys. I feel like every D-line has got some good guys on the edge. They’re going to go after the football, we’re preaching ball security. They play a lot of zone, so I think we’re going to have to find times and zone covers, where we’ve got to find guys open and make guys make yardage after the catch.
“Then they’re going to sprinkle in some man, so win the one-on-ones. I think they’re good up front. I think (Tremaine) Edmunds in the middle is a good player. On the edge, like I said, they’ve got Montez (Sweat). They got a lockdown corner in this league that you’ve got to be mindful of. They can do a lot of different things. I think they’ve played some good defense this year. We’ve got a tough challenge.”
Chicago’s defense is very good at forcing turnovers, too. The Bears’ 15 takeaways are tied for the fourth-most in the league. They have intercepted seven passes and recovered eight fumbles.
Ball security has been one of the few concerns with Maye’s performance as a rookie. He has committed six turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles lost) in four starts. He threw two interceptions with one fumble in the Patriots’ Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans. His second interception came in overtime and sealed New England’s 20-17 defeat.
Maye was asked Wednesday where he wants to improve after four starts, and he immediately mentioned limiting turnovers.
“I’ve got to protect the football. That’s the biggest thing,” Maye told reporters. “I think there’s times where my decision-making, whether it’s ball security in the pocket, and knowing when that timer goes off in my head, little things like that. Other than that, just taking the right play is the biggest thing.
“Taking an incompletion, that last first down knowing the situation, or that third down around midfield, the first interception I threw. Sometimes the punt is not the worst thing there. Maybe you go try to make a play, check down, and get a broken tackle and pick up the first. Knowing the situation, what’s the best play for this football team, instead of being as aggressive in certain situations.
“I think you’re growing that and storing these situations in my memory bank for times when, ‘Hey, I did this last time, maybe try a different thing,’ or maybe try to be more conservative, knowing when to attack these football teams because I’m going to be aggressive. I’m that kind of quarterback.”
Ball security will be of the utmost importance for Maye and the Patriots on Sunday. If they can protect the football and establish the run game, they should have a chance to win in the fourth quarter. Five of the Bears’ eight games have been decided by one score, and they’ve lost three of them.
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