Chicago, IL — The Patriots are readying for a matchup with the Bears at Soldier Field, and all eyes are on two of the NFL's top rookie quarterbacks.
Although it's being billed as a showdown between top-pick Caleb Williams and third-overall pick Drake Maye, the two teams have some notable names who are inactive on Sunday. The Patriots inactives are S Kyle Dugger (ankle), LB Christian Elliss (abdomen), DE Yannick Ngakoue, G Tyrese Robinson, WR Tyquan Thornton, DT Eric Johnson, and rookie Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback.
The Bears inactives are SS Jaquan Brisker, CB Ameer Speed, LB Noah Sewell, DE Darnell Taylor, T Darnell Wright, G Nate Davis, T Braxton Jones, and T Kiran Armegadjie. Jones and Wright are Chicago's starting tackles, so the Bears will have backups at both spots on Sunday.
Starting with Maye's supporting cast, New England's starting offensive line is the big question mark heading into Sunday's tilt. During the week, the Patriots experimented with standout OL Mike Onwenu at left guard. Typically, Onwenu plays on the right side at either guard or tackle, but the thought process behind having Onwenu flip sides is twofold.
First, incumbent starter Michael Jordan has struggled at left guard recently. Last week, Jordan allowed a team-high five pressures and was at the scene on at least two run stuffs. The Pats have struggled to get their run game going with Maye under center, ranking dead-last in rushing success rate since Week 6 (26%). Jordan isn't the only reason for that, but he's contributing to it, while the Patriots must take some of the pressure off Maye by sparking their traditional rushing attack.
The second reason for a potential shakeup is that the Patriots are trying to develop their young players. At 2-7, it's time to start seeing what their recent draft picks can do with an eye toward the future. Hopefully, a few youngsters emerge as potential building blocks in the final eight games.
Along those lines, the coaching staff sees upside for fourth-round guard Layden Robinson. Last week, Robinson got the start at right guard, with Onwenu at right tackle. However, the rookie was benched after struggling vs. Titans DT Jeffery Simmons in his 21 snaps. Granted, Simmons is a stud, but it wasn't a good audition for Robinson. Still, the Patriots might ride the wave with some of their young players like Robinson.
With that in mind, one line combination we could see vs. the Bears is LT Vederian Lowe, LG Mike Onwenu, C Ben Brown, RG Layden Robinson, and RT Trey Jacobs. It's also possible that the Patriots were experimenting early in the practice week and keep the same five that finished last week's overtime loss to the Titans (LT Lowe, LG Jordan, C Brown, RG Onwenu, RT Jacobs) — we will see what Sunday brings.
As for Maye's pass-catchers, one would expect a similar approach at wide receiver in letting the kids play. The Pats are trying to get rookies Ja'Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth round) in the mix. The two rookies are active over a more experienced option in Tyquan Thornton. However, Polk has just ten catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Baker hasn't registered a catch on only ten offensive snaps this season.
The rookie duo will likely be behind current starting trio DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and Kayshon Boutte. Plus, vet WR K.J. Osborn is active after being a healthy scratch last week. Still, you'd like more opportunities for the Pats first-year receivers. Last week, Baker and Polk only played a combined 13 snaps in the loss to the Titans. Baker, in particular, flashed in his two routes, and we should see more of him on Sunday.
At tight end, the Patriots elevated practice-squad TE Mitchell Wilcox on Saturday. Chicago's run defense ranks 30th in DVOA and 29th in yards per carry allowed (5.0). With the team focused on improving the run game, we could be in for a heavy personnel day with multiple tight ends on the field. New England's coaches have also spoken positively about seventh-rounder Jaheim Bell, whose versatility and athleticism are intriguing. Bell would fall into the same category of "let's see more" rookies.
Now that we've laid out the particulars, here is QB Drake Maye's projected supporting cast on Sunday:
OL - Lowe, Jordan, Brown, Onwenu, Robinson, Jacobs
WR - Bourne, Douglas, Boutte, Polk, Baker, Osborn
TE - Henry, Hooper, Bell, Wilcox
RB - Stevenson, Gibson, Hasty
Moving over to the defense, the Patriots ruled out pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue en route to Chicago. On Friday, the team claimed Ngakoue off waivers from the Ravens. Given that he has yet to practice with the club, it's not surprising that Ngakoue's Pats debut will wait a week. New England also ruled out Dugger (ankle) and Elliss (abdomen) before Sunday.
At linebacker, the Patriots released veteran Raekwon McMillan to make room for Ngakoue on the roster. With the team already ruling out Elliss, that was a mild surprise. New England elevated LB Joe Giles-Harris from the practice squad as depth, who will likely factor in mostly on special teams. That means free-agent addition Sione Takitaki is getting the start next to LB Jahlani Tavai on the second level of the Patriot's defense.
It'll be interesting to see what the Patriots can get out of Takitaki in the second half of the season. There was some optimism that the former Browns linebacker could be a regular contributor when he signed with New England in free agency. However, the 29-year-old missed training camp after undergoing a knee procedure in the offseason. Takitaki was activated off the reserve/PUP list in mid-October, but it appeared that the knee issue lingered when Takitaki was inactive vs. the Jaguars in London. Now, Takitaki is off the injury report and is likely to start.
At safety, the Patriots must survive a third consecutive game without defensive captain Kyle Dugger. Dugger is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in the Week 4 loss to the 49ers. The Pats will lean on hybrid S/LB Marte Mapu, undrafted rookie Dell Pettus, and FS Jaylinn Hawkins as its safety trio without Dugger and Jabrill Peppers (commissioner's exempt list).
New England heads into Sunday's game as six-point road underdogs to the Bears in Chicago. There are circumstances outside his control that factor into that spread, but Maye has slightly outplayed Williams. Maye gave off vibes that this game means a little extra to him, with an opportunity to go head-to-head with Williams. If he gets a win, it'll spark debate about whether or not Maye was the better option in the draft.
The Patriots will face the Bears with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
