The Chicago Bears may be facing the reigning AFC Champions on Thursday, but the New England Patriots do not look as formidable as they did last season. Their passing and rushing attacks are decent, but the Patriots seem to have a hard time getting in the end zone.
Chicago, on the other hand, has much greater efficiency on offense now that starting quarterback Caleb Williams is back. He had one of the best games of his career against the Atlanta Falcons and will be looking to have the same kind of performance versus New England.
On a short week, here are three reasons for optimism for the Bears as they face the Patriots in prime time:
Patriots' turnover struggles
Even during their three-game winning streak, the Patriots have a tendency to turn the ball over. In fact, they have a turnover
in every game and at least two turnovers in all but one game. In both losses, New England has turned the ball over three times. Luckily for Chicago’s defense and special teams, they happen to be really good at taking the ball away, as the Bears have three games with three takeaways this season. Chicago tends to do really well when they are generating multiple turnovers, so as long as the Bears can get those takeaways, they should be in good shape.
Home-field advantage
So far this season, the Bears are 2-1 at home. Meanwhile, the Patriots are 1-2 on the road. Quarterback Drake Maye has also thrown six interceptions in their road games while only throwing one interception at home. In other words, the Bears have major home field advantage over New England. The Patriots are playing worse on the road this season, as is their quarterback. The crowd should be a huge factor in this game for the Bears and help them win this game.
Mike Ditka
This will be Chicago’s first home game since the passing of Hall of Fame tight end and legendary coach Mike Ditka. The Bears will be playing the Patriots, who Ditka and the 1985 Bears defeated in Super Bowl XX. The symbolic irony of this being the first home game since Ditka’s passing should also help Chicago get a win in Ditka’s honor this Thursday.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 reasons for optimism as the Bears face the Patriots in Week 7
