The New England Patriots (3-3) face off against the Chicago Bears (2-4) at Gillette Stadium on Monday Night Football, as Mac Jones is expected to return and try to give the team their first winning record of the 2022 season.
Jones has been dealing with a high ankle sprain that sat him out the past three weeks, as rookie Bailey Zappe had the “fever” and led the Patriots to back-to-back wins in his first two starts.
With the Patriots facing the Bears on primetime, here are the three key positional matchups that could determine the outcome of this game.
Matthew Judon vs Chicago's OL
The Chicago Bears have a putrid offensive line, and Justin Fields has taken his fair share of hits this season. Matthew Judon has been on a tear, even against good offensive lines.
Look for Judon to have a behemoth of a statistical performance against one of the worst offensive lines in the entire league. If he gets going, it is a matchup nightmare for the Bears that they don’t have an answer for internally.
Kyle Dugger vs Justin Fields and David Montgomery
Justin Fields and David Montgomery can really run the ball at a high level, and Kyle Dugger is quickly earning the respect across the league as one of the better playmakers at his position.
If Dugger can keep Fields in check and shut down the Bears’ best weapon, dual threat David Montgomery, then the rest of the defense should be able to have a much easier time defending and producing against an inexperienced Bears offense.
Mac Jones vs Mac Jones
One of the more important positional battles is with Mac Jones matching up against, well, himself. Jones has seen the media across the board shift their focus from “Mac Attack” to “Bailey Zappe Fever” in a short three weeks.
For Jones, it’s simple. Just go out there and perform. By playing well, he can keep the distractions off the QB “controversy” some have drummed up, and it would boost the offense’s confidence heading into a very favorable schedule over the course of the next four games.
If the Patriots can continue to unlock the offense, and if Jones plays turnover-free football with an offense that looks much better around him, the Patriots should have no problem putting up 30-plus at home against the 2-4 Bears.
