Stock Report: Patriots Defense Swarms Caleb Williams in Dominant Road Win

The Patriots fend off a second losing streak, pulling off a 19-3 upset in Sunday’s battle of first-round passers.

Despite being without waiver claim Yannick Ngakoue, New England’s pass rush dominated a banged-up Bears front. Caleb Williams was sacked a whopping nine times, and he was hit five more. The defense also held Chicago to 1-14 on third down, forced a field goal on their only Red Zone trip,  and allowed a net of 2.4 yards per play.

The Patriots’ offense was less efficient, going three-and-out on several drives and going scoreless in the third quarter. Alex Van Pelt’s group also went just 1-5 in scoring territory and 5-14 on third downs, though they did convert a crucial 4th down. Unlike last week, when Drake Maye carried the offense to a near-comeback, the ground game took the pressure off New England’s passing attack.

“I thought the guys really answered the challenge that we had all during the week,” Jerod Mayo said during his postgame presser. “We talked about having a physical Wednesday, and I think that showed up today really in all three phases, but offensively, we were able to really deliver those body blows that we talked about and really staying ahead of the sticks.”

It wasn’t a perfect performance for the Patriots, but there were flashes of complementary football to build on against another tough opponent.

Here’s whose stock is on the rise and whose is on the decline following the team’s win in Chicago.

STOCK UP

Defensive Front

In recent weeks, the Patriots have been (fairly) criticized for their lack of pass rush and porous run defense. They didn’t face the stiffest competition on Sunday, but they did more than enough to temporarily quiet detractors.

New England allowed fewer than four yards per carry for the first time since Week 2.  The defense also had seven different players record sacks, an impressive feat against an elusive runner like Williams.

“That was definitely a huge part of it,” Mayo said when asked about containing the rookie’s. “We’ve said that. If you were to take away just our third down penalties and our 3rd down letting the quarterback out of the pocket over the course of the season, we would be much better… Look, that’s the recipe, and we just have to be patient enough to do it on a down-after-down basis.”

Rotational defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms led the way with four stops, including three run stuffs, a sack, and a hit. He also came close to blocking an early punt.

Edge-setter Anfernee Jennings once again led the defensive line in snaps. He seemed to struggle a bit early but rebounded with two sacks, a hit, and a run stuff.

Keion White was a game-wrecker despite seemingly losing early-down snaps to Curtis Jacobs. He notched a sack, a hit, two tackles for loss, a batted pass, and consistently affected the quarterback.

“I’ve been saying it all year. We are a young defense forced into a lot of starting positions,” White told reporters after the game. “What you guys are seeing is us figuring it out and I feel like we are a more cohesive unit week to week. The trajectory is on the right path.”

Deatrich Wise left the game late after absorbing a hit, but he tallied two sacks, a tackle for loss, and a batted pass. The veteran told reporters postgame that he’s fine.

Mayo also credited the secondary with the pass rush’s success, as several takedowns were the direct result of tight coverage.

“Coverage was huge,” Mayo said. “All of those guys in the back end, again, we had the young safeties out there, and [Christian Gonzalez] continues to play at a very high level. I’d also say Jonathan Jones. He’s one of those guys you can put him in as a slot corner, put him outside, put him in the back end. Just a veteran player that, again, goes in that box of he’s a football player, and wherever you ask him to go, he’ll go out there and try to perform.”

Brenden Schooler

Schooler recorded the first significant defensive snaps of his career against the Bears, and he instantly made his presence felt.

The special teams ace was tasked with spying Williams in a special dime package, leading to three pressures and Schooler’s first career sack at any level.

“That’s our Longhorn package,” Mayo explained postgame. “We’ve done things like that before. Again, we talk about next man up. Now you’ve got a guy who was primarily a special teams player making contributions. It’s probably his first sack ever in his career, but he’s fast, he’s athletic, and he’s a football player. We try not to put anyone in a box, and I’m not going to put anyone.”

Schooler spent more time on defense this summer, but typically as a more conventional free or strong safety. His range, open-field tackling, and physicality could come in handy with Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Kyler Murray coming up on the schedule.

Dell Pettus

Dell Pettus started for the first time today, making veteran Jaylinn Hawkins the team’s third safety. Pettus capitalized on the opportunity with the best game of his young career.

 

Pettus recorded his first pass breakup on a smothering man coverage, stopped a run at the end of the third quarter, and then wrangled Williams for his first career sack.

Kyle Dugger mentioned that his absence has opened the door for younger players to get snaps they typically wouldn’t with him in the lineup. That experience could prove invaluable for a tough, smart, and versatile defender like Pettus.

Austin Hooper

Austin Hooper’s contributions have mostly come in the ground game, where he’s been an underrated contributor. This week, the tight end led the receiving corps with 64 yards, including two explosive gains.

The first was a fantastic grab on an aggressive throw from Maye, with Hooper fully extending and making the catch through contact.

The second was a solid adjustment on a ball thrown behind him, but Hooper then made a defender miss for extra yards.

Hooper also moved the chains on a fourth-quarter target that helped set up a field goal.

The veteran has mostly struggled to make a downfield impact for New England this season, but more performances like he had tonight could be a big boost for the passing game down the stretch.

Run Game

The Patriots’ backs combined for their first 100-yard game since Week 5 against the Dolphins.

Unlike previous weeks, the offensive line opened enough holes for backs to gain steam and pick up yards after contact.

The ground attack had its ups and downs, as evidenced by Rhamondre Stevenson’s meh 3.9-yard average, but it was the first time in weeks the back didn’t have to do everything on his own.

Antonio Gibson only saw carries on one drive, but he turned five totes into an impressive 26 yards and helped set up a field goal. JaMycal Hasty, who looked like RB2 today, also moved the chains on two of his six runs.

The Rams’ defensive effort will be much tougher than the Bears’, but  New England’s run game finally has some positive momentum to build on.

Joey Slye

Joey Slye made all of his season-high four field goal attempts and his sole extra point attempt. It was a nice bounceback for the new dad after missing a field goal in last week’s loss.

Mayo praised his kicker and another new dad in Jahlani Tavai, both of whom received game balls.

“To go out there and be four-for-four, to have a new baby at home less than a week old in little Palmer,” Mayo said. “I would throw in Jahlani Tavai in there, as well. His fiance had a baby a couple days ago, Anua. I think that said that right. That means earth in that language. That means a lot. Anytime a kicker goes out there and kicks, and he’s perfect, there’s nothing I can say bad about that.”

STOCK DOWN

Drake Maye

Life with a rookie quarterback comes with speed bumps, and nothing about Maye’s performance worries me long-term. That said, both Maye and Van Pelt brought up ball security as an area of improvement for the first-year signal caller this week, and that box wasn’t checked in Chicago.

Maye’s interception was a terrible decision, and the quarterback admitted he should’ve done a better job throwing the ball away.

The quarterback, whose accuracy seemed more sporadic than last week, also threw behind Hunter Henry on what should’ve been an end-zone pick.

“I know that’s not my style of football, turning the football over like that,” Maye said after the game. “Just growing up and playing different sports and having older brothers and being able to bounce back and getting dunked on a mini-hoop and having to come out here and bounce back from older brothers. Whether it’s that or just facing adversity throughout the season. I think more and more at times not everything is going to go right, not everything is going to go perfect, and I think you saw that from the offense today. Being able to bounce back and do what we needed to do with a defensive performance like that.”

Besides those glaring mistakes, Maye continues to show flashes of brilliance. He lived up to the Josh Allen comparisons on a ridiculous Red Zone scramble throw that was nullified by K.J. Osborn stepping out of bounds.

Maye also continues to show chemistry with Kayshon Boutte, who he connected with during yet another end-of-half situation to get the offense in field goal range.

Chicago did a better job keeping Maye in the pocket than other defenses, but he still managed to rip off a key 19-yard run late in the game.

Reports that surfaced about Maye from earlier this week were even more impressive than his on-field performance. FOX’s Laura Okmin shared that Maye held an offensive meeting after a less-than-satisfactory week of practice.

“Drake has addressed the offense numerous times,” Mayo elaborated. “I think it goes back to now he’s starting to really take control of the offense and the team. When you go out there and you perform at a high level, that’s the first step. The next step is to bring others with you, and I think he’s on his way to doing that.”

Maye also incited a round of applause for his defense before taking questions at the postgame podium, another notable sign of leadership from the rookie.

The turnover issue needs to be addressed, especially with an elite quarterback like Matthew Stafford coming to Foxboro next week. Still, the third overall pick continues to show why the future is bright in New England.