This time, it wasn’t the heat. It was the humility.
“That’s a good team, man,” Bears safety Eddie Jackson said. “That’s probably the greatest quarterback in the NFL right now. With the type of offense they have, the history they have, we knew it was going to be a tough fight. And they kind of got the best of our defense today.”
A week after wilting in the sun against the Dolphins in Miami, the Bears’ defense had no excuses after again struggling to impose their will and be a dominant, pass-rushing force in a 38-31 loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Roquan Smith had a sack, Bilal Nichols had a forced fumble and recovery and Kyle Fuller had an interception. But linebackers Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd, defensive end Akiem Hicks and the rest of the Bears’ playmakers were quiet and unable to harass Brady into a subpar game. The Bears didn’t feel they beat themselves this time.
“No,” Hicks said. “The New England Patriots beat us.”
It wasn’t near the calamity of last week. Brady completed 25 of 36 passes for 277 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a 108.2 passer rating. Except for a 55-yard pass to Josh Gordon, Brady’s longest completion was 20 yards. The Bears’ defense allowed 24 points to an offense that had scored 38, 38 and 43 points in its previous three games. But the Patriots, playing without injured tight end Rob Gronkowski, were good when they had to be.
“That’s what the Patriots do,” said Hicks, who played for the Patriots in 2015. “The New England Patriots do the simple things well. They play football at the ground level very well. And they did that today.”
That was never more evident than in the beginning and the end. On the opening series of the game, the Patriots created huge holes for gains of 18, 13, 13, six, six and nine yards en route to an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Brady’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman.
“I feel like we came out flat,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “I was always taught that if we’re going on defense first and we stop the first drive, that’s momentum. But they drove it right down our throats.”
And with a chance at redemption after Mitch Trubisky’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Trey Burton closed the Patriots lead to 38-31 with 4:13 left in the fourth quarter, the defense came up short, unable to get a stop until it was too late. The Patriots ran the ball on eight consecutive plays and picked up three first downs. By the time the Bears halted the drive, the offense had just 24 seconds to try for the tying touchdown.
“They’re a great offense,” Amukamara said. “They kept getting first downs and kept the clock going. We just have to be better than that.”
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Mack, playing on a bum right ankle, was no factor, with one tackle and no impact plays. He mostly played in coverage, at least in part because of the Bears’ game plan.
“We knew [Brady] wasn’t going to hold onto the ball, so our focus wasn’t on getting to him,” said linebacker Aaron Lynch. “Our focus was stopping him. And he wasn’t holding onto the ball long enough for us to get him.”
Mack did not speak with reporters after the game. But it’s pretty clear the Bears are going to have to get him right to reignite this defense.
“It’s no surprise that Khalil’s a huge part of our defense,” Amukamara said. “When he’s not there, we’re missing an elite, prolific player. Things are happening so fast, I can’t tell if he’s in there or not. [But] I feel like we have enough depth to where I won’t be able to know the difference.”
