The New England Patriots offense showed some encouraging progress

over the last three games. Scoring 38 White Trey Flowers Jersey , 38 and 43 points during their current three-game winning streak, Tom Brady and company appeared to have finally found their rhythm after an inconsistent start to the season. Today, however, the unit will face its biggest challenge since the Jacksonville Jaguars defense in week two: a Chicago Bears team that ranks fourth in the league after allowing just 19.2 points per game so far.New England – shorthanded due to injuries suffered by starting right tackle Marcus Cannon and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Jacob Hollister – therefore needs to play its best football. In order to do that and come away with a victory, three things need to be done.Keep Tom Brady cleanMaking sure that quarterback Tom Brady is given space and time in the pocket is something that needs to be high up on the Patriots’ list of priorities every single week. However, against a defense like Chicago’s, this rings especially true. After all, the Bears are one of the NFL’s best clubs when it comes to pressuring opposing passers and taking them down for a loss of yardage: only two teams average more sacks per game than Chicago’s 3.6.After some questions earlier this week when it comes to the availability of star pass rusher Khalil Mack, the unit will be at full strength today: Mack, who leads the team with 5.0 sacks and is coming off an ankle injury, is expected to be active against the Patriots. New England, meanwhile, will be without stalwart right tackle Marcus Cannon who has already been declared “out” on Friday after suffering a concussion during last Sunday’s game. In Cannon’s place, LaAdrian Waddle will start at right tackle and go against Mack.Naturally, this matchup favors the Bears. The ex-Oakland Raider is far from the only player to worry about from New England’s perspective, though: defensive tackle and ex-Patriot Akiem Hicks is one of the NFL’s most productive interior rushers, while the rest of the front seven has also shown tremendous ability to get after the quarterback. After allowing only two sacks over the last three games, Dante Scarnecchia’s unit therefore needs to bring its A-game not just when it comes to slowing down Mack.Don’t get greedyThe Patriots and especially Tom Brady have a tendency to try to make something out of nothing this season with oftentimes negative results: at multiple points over the first six games, the greatest quarterback of all time tried to force a play when the better decision would have been to just throw the football away or take a sack. This White Phillip Dorsett Jersey , in turn, led to an increased number of Patriots turnovers this season.Now, New England has to go against one of the NFL’s premier squads when it comes to taking the football away: the Bears defense registered a league-best 14 takeaways so far this season. Chicago came away with 10 interceptions and also recovered four fumbles. All in all, 24.1% of the team’s defensive drives ended in a takeaway, which is clearly the best number in all of football.Taking care of the ball is therefore imperative for New England. One way to do that is by limiting the risk of negative plays through smart decisions and not trying to get greedy when no chance to gain yards presents itself.Use misdirection to gain an advantageOne of Chicago’s defensive strengths is the athleticism of its linebacker corps. Led by the aforementioned Khalil Mack, former first-round draft picks Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd, and veteran Danny Trevathan, the group has been able to play aggressively against both the run and the pass and so far held its own in both areas.But while this approach has yielded very good results for the Bears defense this season, New England could try to take advantage of it by challenging the linebackers’ instincts and quickness through misdirection plays. Whether it is classic play-action passes or more elaborate schemes like jet sweeps or reverse runs, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should try to put pressure on Chicago’s hyper-athletic linebackers early and often.Why? Misdirection counteracts defensive aggressiveness by forcing players to trust their eyes and knowledge of an opponent over their athleticism and instincts – and the Patriots have the right personnel to attack the Bears’ hyper-athletic linebacker group that way. Don’t be surprised therefore to see Julian Edelman or Cordarrelle Patterson carry the football, or to see Sony Michel get regular carries early on against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. The New England Patriots’ 38-31 win over the Chicago Bears literally came down to one yard after the visitors stopped the home team’s Hail Mary attempt a yard short of the goal line. The ending was a fitting one for a back-and-forth contes that produced plenty of memorable moments and standout performances – for better or for worse. Let’s take a look at some of them.Winner: The offensive lineChicago entered the game against New England with one of the NFL’s best pass rushes – led by Khalil Mack and ex-Patriot Akiem Hicks, the group averaged 3.6 sacks over its first five games. Against the Patriots, however, it was able to register only one quarterback takedown and three hits as the offensive line had another very good outing even with starting right tackle Marcus Cannon absent due to a concussion.Winner: WR Cordarrelle PattersonYes, Patterson had a costly fumble that set up the Bears’ first touchdown of the day. However, the NFL’s best kickoff returner also bounced back in style and scored a momentum-swinging touchdown in the early second quarter. His 95-yard runback was not his only big play, though, as the 27-year old also had a 38-yard return later in the game – further showing his abilities on special teams and why it would be wise to generally kick away from him.Loser: DE Adrian ClaybornThe Patriots defense had plenty of issues against the Bears, but the most excruciating to watch was quarterback Mitchell Trubisky running wild over the unit. His 8-yard touchdown http://www.authenticsnewenglandpatriots.com/cheap-kyle-van-noy-jersey , which covered 77 yards, was the low-point for New England – and for defensive edge Adrian Clayborn. While the free agency acquisition registered his first sack as a Patriot later in the game, Trubisky’s score was a good example for his day and the struggles he still has. Clayborn was too aggressive in his pursuit and opened up the backside for the quarterback to exploit. It was not the only time the veteran was out of position yesterday.Winner: QB Tom BradyA late-game interception hurt his final stat-line but Tom Brady still played a great contest against one of the NFL’s better defensive units. Overall, he finished the day with 25 completions on 36 attempts for 277 yards with three touchdowns and the aforementioned pick – as well as a solid acting performance on a direct snap to the running back. The 41-year old was patient in the pocket and able to deliver some perfect passes all game long, spreading the football around well in the process. It was a typical Brady day.Loser: RB Sony MichelHad his game not ended in the early second quarter with what appeared to be a serious knee injury, Sony Michel would likely have found himself in the “winner” category once again. However, such is life in the NFL: one moment you can be on top, the other you can be on a cart to the locker room. New England now has to hope that its first-round rookie running back dodged a bullet or else the offensive attack – and more important the career of a promising young player – takes a serious hit.Winner: LB Kyle Van NoyThe biggest play of Kyle Van Noy’s day was obviously his touchdown off a blocked punt by fellow linebacker Dont’a Hightower. The veteran scooped up the loose football and returned it 29-yards to give New England a 31-24 lead midway through the third quarter. In general, Van Noy had a productive day and finished with six tackles – one of which for loss – and a pressure on the final Hail Mary attempt. The latter forced Trubisky to throw a higher arc and not quite reach the end zone with the pass.Winner: RB James WhiteWhen Sony Michel went down, the Patriots were left with two running backs which forced James White to expand his role. Serving not only as New England’s receiving back, he also was used as the ball carrier late in the game to run out the clock. Overall, he finished the day with 11 carries for 40 yards and eight catches for 57 and two scores. Another very good performance by arguably the Patriots’ second most valuable offensive player.Winner: WR Josh GordonOne month ago, the Cleveland Browns traded Josh Gordon to the Patriots for a conditional fifth-round draft pick. Yesterday, the 27-year old had his first 100-yard game in New England. By now, it appears that Gordon is well integrated in the Patriots offense and has earned Tom Brady’s trust – a perfect example for that being his 19-yard catch on a fourth down attempt in the second quarter. It was an impressive outing by an outstanding player.Losers: CB J.C. Jackson & CB Keion CrossenWhile J.C. Jackson registered an interception late in the third period and had a big block on Patterson’s return touchdown, the undrafted rookie struggled with penalties when in the defensive lineup: he was flagged three times – twice extending a drive scoring drive. Fellow cornerback Keion Crossen also received a flag though the results were not as grave: the seventh-round rookie was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the first half and could very well helped Bears earn some points if not for questionable play calling. All in all, the two youngsters played some bad situational football at times (as can be expected by rookies).