Primetime football is back at Gillette Stadium for week seven, as the Patriots are hosting a standalone NFL game for the first time since Tom Brady returned to town last October.
New England will take on the Chicago Bears on Monday night, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast. The game will kickoff at 8:15pm.
Here are their odds for Monday night’s game at Gillette, according to our exclusive wagering partners at BetOnline.ag:
Odds – Patriots (3-3) vs. Bears (2-4)
Spread: Patriots -9
Total: 40
Moneyline: Patriots -375/Lions +305
Storylines
The story of the week, of course, has been the health of quarterback Mac Jones. As you know by now, the second year QB suffered a high ankle sprain against the Ravens in week three, and has been out ever since.
Bailey Zappe went 2-0 in Jones’ absence and many were clamoring for a QB controversy for the Patriots, however, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Jones expects to be ready to play on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. From ESPN:
Jones, who has been inactive the past three games, has told teammates that his recovery from a high left ankle sprain he suffered Sept. 25 has progressed, with a final hurdle to be cleared in practice. The Patriots’ first practice of the week is scheduled for Thursday.
On top of this The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that, “when Mac Jones is healthy enough to return to play, he’ll be the starter.” It seems as though Zappe Hour is coming to a close.
Watch our full breakdown of Patriots vs. Bears on the Patriots Beat Podcast HERE:
Players to Watch
Patriots
Mac Jones
All eyes will be on Jones in his return on Monday night. As we know, the team had success with Bailey Zappe at the helm – but I’m of the mindset that it largely had to do with the offensive system they ran around him.
It’s time to put away the training camp offense and go back to the roots with Jones now back. I’m excited, and speculative, to see if they do so.
Trent Brown
Chicago will likely want to throw off Mac Jones on Monday night, and the best way to do that is by pressuring him.
The Bears have the weapons to do this in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith, but the Patriots have one of the better tackles in the NFL in Trent Brown to offset it. Brown has been awesome (when motivated) in the New England system – and he should certainly be motivated to get his franchise quarterback back under center. I expect big things from Brown on Monday.
Carl Davis
Another week, another run offense to shut down. The Patriots front seven has been awesome over the last few weeks, and they’ve a lot of it without Lawrence Guy or Christian Barmore in the middle.
This is because NT Carl Davis has stepped up immensely. Davis has clogged up the middle over the last two weeks, and they’ll need him to continue that trend against Chicago.
Bears
Justin Fields
Bill Belichick said it best this week: “Fields is a major threat every time he touches the ball, very athletic kid… [The Bears] lead the league in yards per pass attempt. They’ve hit some big plays. Some of those are catch-and-run plays and then when you add on [Justin] Fields’ scrambles, which might count as running plays in the stats, but they’re actually passing plays, in terms of having to defend them. They’re really a lot of explosive plays there that are a problem.”
Fields is limited as a passer, but his dynamic ability makes him tough to defense. New England has their work cut out for them.
Roquan Smith
Roquan Smith is the best player the Bears have, by a long shot. The fifth year linebacker out of Georgia has had an incredible run in Chicago, and realistically should be playing for a contender right now if the Bears followed through with his trade request back in the offseason.
Chicago’s defense is solid – and Smith is the main reason why. New England will have to have their eyes on him at all times.
Prediction/Pick
New England having Mac Jones back under center is going to bring a ton of life to this Patriots team, and the Bears won’t be ready for it.
I think this is going to be a route. New England will run a crisp offense and the Bears will have another tough time scoring. Patriots win and cover, and the total goes under thanks to the inept Chicago offense.
Prediction: Patriots 31 – Bears 3
Side: Patriots -9
Total: UNDER 40
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