It’s the return of the Mac. That’s right Pats fans, quarterback Mac Jones is scheduled to return versus the Chicago Bears this Monday. Of course, Bill Belichick would never be that direct. But all signs point towards it. With him practicing every day, and him speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, I think it looks like Jones will be back in the starting lineup.
Of course, he’ll be meeting a fellow second-year quarterback Justin Fields, and the Chicago Bears. These two have had very different career arcs to this point. Jones, was the runner-up rookie of the year and made the pro-bowl in 2021. Fields? Has been absolutely ruined and mishandled from day one. Neither Matt Nagy nor Matt Eberflus had a clue as to how to use him. And the former buckeye has paid the price. One has to wonder if the Bears would even be in this scenario had they taken Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson second overall in 2017. Instead of current Steelers backup Mitchell Trubisky.
Anyhow, this should be a fairly easy game for New England. The Bears have kerfuffled this entire season. Between the crimes against football, they’ve committed to Justin Fields, and put on the worst primetime game performances second only to the Denver Broncos. But the Patriots absolutely have to make the best of the soft spot in their schedule before it gets tough again at Thanksgiving.
Two teams, storied histories, under the bright lights? It doesn’t get more NFL football than this. Set it up, Bailey! Let’s get this preview underway.
Three Keys to The Game
Key #1: Keep Rhamondre Stevenson involved
I know last week wasn’t all that pretty for the second year back. In his first game without Damien Harris to steal carries, Stevenson was pretty pedestrian. On 17 carries he garnered 76 yards. Though he did find the endzone twice. The Patriots can’t get discouraged if the going gets tough on the ground. And they’ll likely have Harris back to change it up a bit. The Bears are ranked 29th in rushing yards per game. They’ll let you pound it down their throats. So stick to your strengths. Stevenson is the Pats’ best offensive player and it’s not particularly close. Give him as many opportunities as he needs to shine.
Key #2: Keep it simple
Mac Jones will no doubt be rusty if he does indeed start this game. So keep it light on offense. Don’t totally dumb it down to Bailey Zappe levels, because Jones will inherently know more than Zappe does and your limitations aren’t the same. But don’t ask him to do too much. You shouldn’t have to because the Bears will likely allow the Pats to march right down at will. But keep the play calls simple for McCorkle. This should be a get-right game for him as we look forward to a big divisional game in MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets. Where it’s not as much of a cakewalk as it used to be.
Key #3: Bottle up the run
I could not have any more sympathy toward Justin Fields. Was one of the most talented quarterbacks of the past decade to enter this league, and like far too many has been ruined by incompetence. That being said? They aren’t going to let him do too much. Eberflus and company are terrified to let him throw the ball. Ranking last in pass attempts per game with 19.2 a week. If you shut down David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert? You’ve eliminated basically their entire offense.
X-Factor: Davon Godchaux
Like we said earlier, if you take away this Chicago run game, their entire offense is tanked. Davon Godchaux has been the premier run-stuffer of this Pats’ defensive line. In Lawrence Guy and Christian Barmore‘s absence, Godchaux has stepped up and helped bottle up guys like Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and Jamaal Williams. I think you’re going to see a big-time game from the second-year Patriot in this one as the Bears try to shove a square peg into a closed hole.
Concluding Thoughts/Predictions
I know that this piece will get a lot of Pats fans riled up. “HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED ZAPPE? ZAPPE BETTAH. WE GOT THE ZAPPE FEVAH!” I hear you. Mac Jones has had some struggles to begin the year. a 2:5 touchdown to interception ratio is never pretty. The offense has looked sluggish with him under center. But what has Zappe really done to distinguish himself as a starter?
He was thrown into a really tough environment in Green Bay. So that’s a wash. He handed the ball off 29 times against a bad Lions defense and played pedestrian. Then lit up a Browns secondary that was pretty vulnerable, all the while not asking to do too much. He’s at best where Mac Jones was last year. Which is great. Wonderful for a fourth-round pick. But he didn’t play so good that Jones doesn’t deserve a chance to further cement himself as the starter.
Is the leash shorter on Mac Jones? Absolutely. The Pats have a kid that can play sitting right behind him. If he stinks it up over the next couple of weeks? The Zappe chants won’t just be annoying. They’ll be justified. But Jones deserves an opportunity to play.
As for the game at hand? If you couldn’t judge from the tone of this piece, I have New England winning comfortably. This Bears team just isn’t there. Bottom-tier in almost every category. I think the Pats would have to beat themselves to give Chicago a fighting chance in this one. Count me in for a reverse of Super Bowl XX back in 1985. Back when my father was only 10 years old. Except for this time, it’ll be the Patriots celebrating. And probably no big-man touchdowns.
Final Score: 38-10, Patriots win (Advance to 4-3)
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