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The 3-4 Chicago Bears and head coach Matt Eberflus are coming off the most impressive victory of the first-year head coach’s tenure in the Windy City.
The Bears handed the New England Patriots a 33-14 loss on Monday Night Football Week 7. It was the first time the Bears had beaten the Patriots since December of 2000, and it was the first time in franchise history that Chicago won on the road against New England. The Bears defense forced four total turnovers, including three interceptions, which brings the unit’s total to eight on the year, currently tied for third in the NFL.
There were a few minor hiccups for Chicago, including the ejection of defensive tackle Mike Pennel, who was ejected for a blind side block that occurred during linebacker Roquan Smith’s interception return with just under eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Pennel laid out Patriots offensive lineman David Andrews, knocking him out of the game.
“Good call by the officials,” analyst Joe Buck said during the telecast after the officials initially penalized Pennel. Buck’s co-analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman agreed, but noted: “Those calls are tough. … I don’t think there was any ill intent on his (Pennel’s) part.”
After the win, Eberflus let it be known he did not approve of the blind side block on Andrews.
Matt Eberflus on Mike Pennel’s Hit: ‘That’s Not What We Teach’
The first-year head coach was asked about Pennel’s hit on Andrews, and he didn’t hesitate to criticize the play. “I saw it, yeah,” Eberflus said. “Totally in the wrong. He should not do that. And I told him right afterward. And that’s not what we teach. It’s not good football.”
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was also asked about Pennel’s illegal hit, and he agreed with Eberflus’s assessment. “I think Coach Eberflus probably put it well, so I don’t have anything to add to that,” Belichick said.
Doug Kyed, a top insider at Pro Football Focus, reported a day after the game on October 25 that Andrews was in concussion protocol after the hit from Pennel.
The 31-year-old Bears defensive lineman has played 30% of the team’s defensive snaps this season, amassing 11 total tackles (one for loss), a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit through his first seven games. Pennel had two tackles against New England before he was ejected.
Bears Played Lights Out Defense 2nd Half vs New England
The Bears played dominant defense in their Week 7 win, shutting Belichick and the Patriots out in the second half. The Patriots played two different quarterbacks, and neither did well. Rookie signal-caller Bailey Zappe finished with a rating of 67.4, throwing two interceptions and one touchdown, while second-year QB Mac Jones also tossed a pick and finished with a 16.7 rating.
Chicago’s ‘D’ has surrendered a total of 35 points in the second half this season, an average of 5.0 points a game so far in the game’s most pivotal quarters. If they keep playing this way, a few more upsets could be in store for this upstart Bears squad.
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