This Week: The New England Patriots (4-4) will travel to Champaign, Ill. to face the Chicago Bears (2-6) at Memorial Stadium (70,904 capacity) on Nov. 10 at 4:15 p.m. This will be the Patriots second of four meetings against the NFC this season. It will also be the second game of the Patriots three-game road trip.
Television: This week's game will be broadcast nationally on CBS (locally on WBZ Channel 4). The play-by-play duties will be handled by Kevin Harlan, who will be joined in the booth by Randy Cross. Beasley Reece will provide sideline reports throughout the game.
Radio: Every Patriots game can be heard in stereo on the Patriots official flagship station WBCN 104.1 FM. Gil Santos, now in his 26th season as the voice of the Patriots, will call the game along with Patriots Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti, who will provide indepth analysis for his 22nd season. A complete list of the Patriots WBCN Rock Radio Network can be found on pages 462-463 of the 2002 Patriots media guide or at www.patriots.com.
National Radio: This week's game can also be heard nationally on CBS Radio. Dave Sims and Rick Walker will be calling all the action.
All Aboard the Patriots A-Train: Patriots running back Antowain Smith recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, gaining 111 yards 29 carries (3.8 avg.) last week against Buffalo. It was Smith's 12th 100-yard rushing game (fifth with the Patriots) during his career and his teams have registered an 11-1 record, including a 5-0 record with the Patriots. Smith has gained 80 more yards through eight games this year (554), than he did last year (474), on the same amount of carries (128).
Three's Company: The Patriots have converted 46.7% of their third downs this season and rank first in the AFC and fourth in the NFL. The ability of the Patriots to convert their third downs on offense, while limiting their opponents conversions, has been a major factor in their wins and losses this season. In their four victories, the Patriots converted over half their attempts 53.4% (31-58), while they have only done so on 38.8% (19-49) in their four losses. Defensively, they have been very stingy on third downs in their victories, allowing only 31.3% (15-48), but have yielded half (28-56) in their losses.
On the Road Again: The Patriots will continue their three-game road trip when they travel to Champaign, Ill. this weekend to face the Bears. The Patriots will conclude their trip next week when they travel to Oakland to face the Raiders. The road trip, which will cover 7,872 miles, is the longest road streak this year in the NFL.
