The New England Patriots suffered a tough 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 7 that saw their positioning among the top teams in the NFL take a slight dip.
ESPN ranked the Patriots No. 10 overall in their latest NFL power rankings
following Week 7. They also highlighted rookie edge rusher Gabe Jacas as being the best offseason addition that the team made this year, with his play heading into Week 8 speaking volumes.“A second-round pick out of Illinois, Jacas has played 58% of the defensive snaps and provided juice for the pass rush with his high motor,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote. “He has totaled 20 tackles, six QB hits and 1.5 sacks while also contributing on the punt protection/punt coverage unit. Jacas has been a quick study, considering
he was away from the team in the spring because of a knee procedure and had a contract stalemate that lasted into the early days of training camp."
New England remains in contention in the AFC East but faces pressure to correct costly mistakes as the season progresses.
The Patriots fell to 4-3 on the year as a result of their loss to the Bears. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye completed 24-of-31 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding a rushing touchdown to his final stat line. However, he also had a costly interception in the game.
Rhamondre Stevenson led New England with 93 receiving yards and one touchdown in the loss, and Hunter Henry added 71 receiving yards.
The Patriots were unable to establish the run, as Maye led them with 26 rushing yards. Marcus Jones, Christian Barmore and Leonard Taylor III each had a sack, but New England was not able to consistently slow down Chicago’s offense and come away with the win.
The Patriots have a Week 8 road matchup against the Miami Dolphins on the horizon. They are in the playoff hunt after starting the year off at 1-2, and Maye has returned to All-Pro form in the last four weeks. So New England has established itself again as a real threat in the league.
A victory against Miami will improve New England’s record to 5-3 on the year and help the team regain its momentum as they seek to bounce back from the setback against Chicago.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: How far did Patriots fall in ESPN's latest NFL Week 8 power rankings?
