Why Bears defense presents tough test for Maye, Patriots offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will make his fifth career NFL start Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. It could very well end up being one of his toughest tests of the season.
That’s because the Bears have a strong pass defense.
Chicago ranks No. 8 in passing yards allowed per game (191.3), No. 1 in fewest passing touchdowns allowed (five), No. 3 in opposing QB rating (77.2) and No. 5 in opposing QB completion percentage (61.8). The Bears pass rush ranks No. 11 in sacks with 23.
Here’s a look at how the Bears pass defense has performed against each quarterback it has faced entering Week 10:
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Maye gave a scouting report of the Bears defense earlier this week.
“I think the Bears’ defense, they’re always going to be a physical defense,” Maye told reporters at his Wednesday press conference. “They’re good up front. They have some good edge guys. I feel like every D-line has got some good guys on the edge. They’re going to go after the football, we’re preaching ball security. They play a lot of zone, so I think we’re going to have to find times and zone covers, where we’ve got to find guys open and make guys make yardage after the catch.
“Then they’re going to sprinkle in some man, so win the one-on-ones. I think they’re good up front. I think (Tremaine) Edmunds in the middle is a good player. On the edge, like I said, they’ve got Montez (Sweat). They got a lockdown corner in this league that you’ve got to be mindful of. They can do a lot of different things. I think they’ve played some good defense this year. We’ve…
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