There are no easy games in the NFL, and it seems like every week the New England Patriots are staring down a tougher opponent.
The Patriots will be looking to post their fifth straight victory and stay on the path to a No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs when they visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
One mark of Bill Belichick’s tenure with New England (10-2) has been his unwillingness to let the team dwell too long on any of its success.
That was evident immediately following Monday night’s 45-3 pasting of the New York Jets, when several players in the locker room began talking about the few things that had gone wrong instead of the many, many, many things that had gone down in the Patriots’ favor.
Given 10 days to prepare for the Jets after whacking Detroit 45-24 on Thanksgiving, Belichick developed a nearly flawless game plan both offensively and defensively for the battle between two 9-2 teams vying for AFC East supremacy.
Tom Brady carved up the formerly fearsome Jets defense, completing 21 of 29 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
In the running for another league MVP award, Brady has 27 touchdowns against four interceptions this season and has not turned the ball over in his last seven games.
But while the offense has been on top all season despite losing Randy Moss and relying heavily on castoffs like running back Danny Woodhead, it has been the defense that has been the Achilles heel of the club at times.
The 32nd-ranked pass defense entering the Jets’ game, New England intercepted Mark Sanchez three times and allowed New York to convert only 3-of-12 third downs.
With that victory, the Patriots have now taken out Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego and New York, giving them not only the best record in the AFC but the advantage in any potential tiebreakers when it comes to playoff positioning.
The Bears (9-3) have playoff and No. 1 seed aspirations of their own at this point, leading the NFC North by a game over the Green Bay Packers and trailing the Atlanta Falcons by a game for the best record in the NFC. Yet Chicago, winner of five straight, never seems to get the credit that its record should merit.
Capable of strong performances, like the Week 12 victory over Philadelphia, the Bears also have had a tendency to play down to their competition at times. They needed a controversial call to go their way last weekend in order to extend a drive that resulted in the game-winning touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Manumaleuna in a 24-20 victory over the lowly Detroit Lions.
That game exposed some cracks in the defense as well, as third-stringer Drew Stanton was able to compile a 102.4 passer rating in his second career start without turning the ball over. Detroit was able to rush for 134 yards as well.