What to Watch For: Patriots vs. Bears

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Saturday, October 25, 2014

Matt LaPan, GoLocal Worcester Sports Reporter

The New England Patriots are coming off 10 days of rest and will welcome the banged-up Chicago Bears into Gillette Stadium at 1 PM on Sunday. The Patriots are coming off a Thursday night win over the New York Jets in Week 7 while the Bears are coming off a disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots enter the game at 5-2 while the Bears come in at 3-4. The 3-4 record drew a strong, emotional response from Chicago receiver Brandon Marshall -- who reportedly had an impassioned post game speech following the Bears Week 7 loss and then was very emotional in his post game media huddle.

Marshall will likely be part of the top matchup of the weekend as Darrelle Revis should line-up man-to-man on Marshall. That is just one of many intriguing match ups, here are three to watch:

Darrelle Revis & Brandon Browner vs. Brandon Marshall & Alshon Jeffery:

This is the premier matchup of the weekend. a duo of terrific cornerbacks matchup against, arguably, the top receiving duo in the NFL. Marshall and Revis should battle all night as Revis starts a run of coverage against some of the top receivers in the NFL over the next six weeks.

Marshall is a great route runner but Revis is an elite coverage corner. As for Jeffery and Browner, the matchup features a big, physical receiver against a big, physical cornerback. Browner also said he is much more confident in his ability to play after getting more practice time.

Rob Gronkowski vs. Bears Linebackers/Safety's:

Gronkowski appears to be on track to be back to his normal "Gronk" self. He will be going against a linebacker and safety group that is extremely banged up. With Danny McCray out, Lance Briggs and Jon Bostic doubtful and Chris Conte on the injury report, the Bears have nearly nobody that can cover Gronkowski.

Gronkowski should be Tom Brady's top option this week, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he catches multiple touchdowns.

Matt Forte vs. Patriots Front 7:

Forte is one of the elite running backs in the NFL and is often overlooked. He has great running abilities and leads the NFL with 52 receptions. Forte will face a Patriots front that will be missing Chandler Jones with a hip injury after already losing Jerod Mayo for the season. The Patriots were gashed by Chris Ivory in Week 7, and Forte could do the same.

Both teams have multiple injury questions, here is a look at the full injury report from both teams:

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