The New England Patriots were outwitted in all three facets of the game on Monday, as the Bears demolished them at Gillette Stadium. It was an embarrassing game across the board filled with distractions as quarterback Mac Jones returned to the starting lineup, only to be replaced by rookie QB Bailey Zappe.
The Patriots’ have very little to be proud about in what was a disastrous performance on the primetime stage of Monday Night Football.
Let’s get into the stars of the game for the Patriots in the blowout loss.
First Star: Matthew Judon
Matthew Judon continued his dominant run this season against the Bears. He added three solo tackles and 2.5 sacks, which now puts him as the league-leader with 8.5 sacks on the season. Judon looked as good as ever, and with Anfernee Jennings emerging on the outside and Deatrich Wise continuing his good season, things are looking up for the New England defense.
Even if fans think the defense played poorly, they’re still a top unit and will continue to be so as long as Judon keeps striking fear into opposing offenses. When Josh Uche and Kyle Dugger return, the defense should get back on track.
Second Star: DeVante Parker
I originally debated giving this star to Rhamondre Stevenson, who tallied eight catches for 59 yards, but those came in garbage time as the Patriots couldn’t charge down the field, forcing Zappe to check down to Stevenson on multiple plays.
Parker, on the other hand, has looked great this season, even in limited usage. There’s no question that 50/50 balls have been his specialty, but what’s been more impressive is the pure attention he gets when on the field. Parker only caught three passes for 68 yards, but when the ball was coming his way, he was as sure as it gets for a New England offense that was unable to figure out the Bears.
Third Star: Anfernee Jennings
Anfernee Jennings is starting to look like what we saw in camp playing that Kyle Van Noy role, which is the weak side linebacker opposite of Matthew Judon. Jennings looked solid all night holding up the edge and even notched a sack in the game. What hurt New England on defense had more to do with the Patriots favoring zone coverage rather than going man with a spy (Jamie Collins).
Here’s to hoping Jennings can finally turn into what New England was hoping he would become when they selected him in the 3rd round of the 2020 NFL draft.
