New England Patriots Prep for Treacherous Road Ahead

By Frank OLaughlin | Oct 19, 2014

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

After overcoming doubt and uncertainty at the beginning of the season, the New England Patriots find themselves sitting pretty atop the AFC East with a 5-2 record as they prep for a grueling stretch of football.

They’ll square off with some of the most prolific offenses in football over the next six weeks of play. New England’s defense will be challenged by top-notch gunslingers, while their offense will be forced to out perform their opponent.

The challenging road ahead will kickoff next weekend at Gillette Stadium as the NFC North’s Chicago Bears will come to town. The Bears were defeated on Sunday by the Miami Dolphins, but they still boast a boatload of talent and will undoubtedly challenge the Patriots defensive unit, which is coming off a shaky outing against the New York Jets.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will bomb the football all over the field. His main weapons are Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. Matt Forte is their main running back. He can catch it and run it with a high rate of success.

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Marshall leads the Bears with five touchdown catches. Corner Darrelle Revis will likely shadow him around as Marshall is a massive target no matter where the Bears are positioned on the field. Jeffrey, who stands 6-foot-3, could be countered with Brandon Browner‘s physicality.

Forte presents the biggest matchup nightmare though. He leads his team in catches with 52 and total touchdowns with five. He’s eclipsed 400 yards rushing as well. Forte is strong and runs with great speed. The Patriots will have to exhibit sure tackling techniques or he’ll most certainly torch them.

With Jerod Mayo out of the lineup and their front seven struggling to stop a nose bleed, the Patriots will have to pick their poison as they’ll face a tall task in all facets of play. Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich will have to set the edges with regularity, Vince Wilfork will need to disrupt things in the middle, and the linebackers will have to fill with authority. Guarding against the play-action pass will also be crucially important.

Following their date with the Bears, the Patriots will host old pal Peyton Manning and the prolific Denver Bronco offense. The Patriots will then get a chance to rest and recuperate as they’ll get a buy in Week 10.

Coming out of the buy, the Patriots will visit the NFL’s leading passer in Andrew Luck and the Colts. The league’s 4th-ranked passer, Matthew Stafford, will lead the Lions into Foxborro the week after. Tilts against Aaron Rodgers‘ Packers and Philip Rivers‘ Chargers round out the six-week span. Without a doubt, the road ahead will either make or break the Patriots season.

One story line to pay close attention to is how Tom Brady performs in these games stacked up against the NFL’s top signal callers. Many say Brady has slipped and declined in comparison to guys like Manning, Rodgers and Luck. He’ll be motivated to prove the doubters wrong. That fact alone should make for some terrific football.

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