WILL THEY HAVE PATS ON BACKS?
With plenty of playmakers, Bears have the ability to keep Patriots’ defense off-balance
The Patriots’ path to winning Super Bowl LI was full of examples of what coach Bill Belichick’s defenses have been known to do over the years.
The best offensive threats of the Texans, Steelers and Falcons — in these cases, their No. 1 receivers — were taken away.
♦ Divisional round: Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler threw the ball 40 times but receiver DeAndre Hopkins had six catches for 64 yards in a 34-16 win for the Patriots.
♦ AFC Championship: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball 47 times but receiver Antonio Brown had seven catches for 77 yards in a 36-17 win for the Patriots.
♦ Super Bowl LI: Falcons receiver Julio Jones had four catches for 87 yards but he made only one reception in the second half as the Patriots rallied for a stunning 34-28 victory.
It’s a history that stretches beyond that Super Bowl run, and it’s one that coach Matt Nagy acknowledges as the Bears’ play-caller. But it’s also one that the Bears are built to handle — and possibly overcome — on Sunday.
“A benefit for us is that we have different guys that can do different things,” Nagy said. “That’s a philosophy that we have as an offense. When you run into situations where you feel somebody can take somebody away, then it’s on your other players to step up.
“That makes it easier for you as a playcaller in regards to just being able to call concepts. And if they’re going to decide to take somebody away, then you go somewhere else. But then you need those guys to step up if that’s the case.”
That said, here’s a look at the Bears’ best playmakers and what could be coming against the Patriots.
No. 1 receiver?
Based on production, receiver Taylor Gabriel is the Bears’ top receiver. He has 27 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns. But based on Allen Robinson’s size, previous production and hefty contract, he’s still the No. 1 wideout. And he’s making No. 1-type plays.
Early in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins, quarterback Mitch Trubisky fired a back-shoulder throw to Robinson, who made a diving catch for a 21-yard gain down to Miami’s 3.
“That was a check we had at the line of scrimmage, and they also made a great adjustment on defense and that was just me trusting a great playmaker, putting the ball in a spot that he could only make a play on it and he made a heckuva catch,” Trubisky said. “That’s the types of plays that we know No. 12 can make.”
It’s an example of their trust and chemistry. Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said it was a goal to “cultivate” that early on.
“Those guys have done a lot of things together,” Helfrich said.
In his only game against the Patriots, Robinson made four catches for 68 yards in the Jaguars’ 52-17 loss on Sept. 27. 2015. But it’s a bad example. The Jaguars were overmatched, falling behind 10-0, 20-3, 30-3 and so on.