{"id":19754,"date":"2018-10-18T07:29:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T11:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=19754"},"modified":"2018-10-18T07:29:33","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T11:29:33","slug":"patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> head back out on the road for the next two weeks. They face the Chicago Bears on Sunday at 1 p.m. before heading off to Buffalo and facing the Bills in a prime-time Monday Night Football matchup. <\/span><\/p>\n

This week’s game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Ian Eagle will handle play-by-play duties with Dan Fouts as the color analyst. Evan Washburn will work the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Capello.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Patriots<\/b> (4-2) defeated the Chiefs on a last-second field goal 43-40. \u00a0Tom Brady threw for 340 yards and Sony Michel ran for 106 as the Patriots rolled up 500 yards of offense. But the defense, which had a 24-9 first-half lead, allowed 31 points after intermission.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Bears<\/b> (3-2) \u00a0lost to the Miami Dolphins 31-28 in overtime. Cody Parkey had a chance to win in it OT but his kick was wide right. The Bears defense allowed Brock Osweiler to pass for 380 yards and three TDs. Mitch Tribuski threw for 316 yards and three TDs in the loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

We here at <\/span>PatsFans.com<\/span><\/a> are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d column in 2018 to give some quick analysis on some of the key matchups of the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Series History:<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Patriots and the Bears will meet for just the 14th time in their history with the Pats holding a 9-4 advantage in those contests. The only meeting in the postseason, however, was a crushing 46-10 blowout in Super Bowl XX. The Pats are 5-3 vs the Bears on the road. The last time the team\u2019s faced in Chicago was back in 2010 in a snowstorm. The Patriots rolled 36-7. The Patriots have won the last four meetings including the last meeting between the two teams 51-23 at Foxboro back in 2014. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge. First up is the Patriots offense:<\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Bears Front Seven – <\/b>Razor\u2019s Edge New England<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

The Patriots running game has really found its rhythm the past three weeks. They\u2019ve rushed for an average of 148.3 yards in the games against the Dolphins, Colts and the Chiefs. The offensive line is doing a tremendous job of opening holes for Sony Michel and James White. In this three-game streak, Michel has gained 315 yards in those wins and seems to be getting better every week. James Develin has been outstanding as a lead blocker. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears have been good against the run allowing an average of just 84.3 yards per game. It starts up front with a very good front seven. Former Patriot Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman anchor the front three in the Bears 3-4 scheme. They boast very good linebackers in Danny Trevathan, rookie Roquan Smith, Leonard Floyd and of course, Khalil Mack. <\/span><\/p>\n

Look for the Patriots to attack the Bears front by running right at it between the tackles and guards with Michel and White. Miami did this last week and was very successful running the ball gaining 161 yards on the ground with 101 of them going to Frank Gore. The NFL is a copycat league and after watching the Dolphins carve them up a bit in the heat, look for the Patriots to attempt the same. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Bears Secondary – <\/b>Razor\u2019s Edge New England<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

The Patriots passing game has really taken off with the return of Julian Edelman and with Josh Gordon just now beginning to assimilate into the Patriots offense. Tom Brady started slowly this year, with all of the injuries at WR, but is getting better every week. Against Kansas City, he completed 24-35 for 340 yards with a TD. He, Edelman and Rob Gronkowski have a built-in chemistry thru years of playing together and they\u2019re beginning to ramp up the production. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bears have a ball-hawking defense and have 10 interceptions in just five games. They also have 18 sacks led by Mack with five. He\u2019s banged up right now and may not be 100 percent on Sunday. But in reality, most of the big edge rushers don\u2019t have big games against Brady and the Patriots. It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. He\u2019s the one to watch. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive. <\/span><\/p>\n

Look for Brady to attack the middle of the field with Edelman and Gronkowski this week. With Gordon and Hogan outside the numbers, they\u2019ll take a fair share of deep shots and when they do that, they\u2019ll try to use James White underneath in the open spaces underneath. I look for Brady to continue his hot streak in the Windy City this weekend<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up the Chicago offense<\/span>:<\/b><\/p>\n

Bears RBs vs NE Front Seven – <\/b>Razor\u2019s Edge Chicago<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

The Bears have their own two-pronged rushing attack with big back Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen as their speedier back out of the backfield and can inject some quickness off the line. Howard is averaging just 3.5 yards a carry this season as the Bears offensive line has been inconsistent at opening up holes for him. Cohen, however at just 5\u20196, 181 has been electric both in the running game and catching the ball out of the backfield. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots were getting gashed early in the season in the running game, but then back-to-back games, albeit against weak running teams in Miami and the Colts had the needle pointing up. Last week, the Chiefs Kareem Hunt had 80 yards in just 10 carries so they are back to square one. <\/span><\/p>\n

I would expect the Bears to use Cohen a lot in this one. He\u2019s the kind of player with the speed that gives them a lot of headaches. Look for coach Matt Nagy to look for creative ways to get him the ball a lot in this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bears WRs vs NE Secondary- <\/b>Razor\u2019s Edge Chicago<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

The Bears for the first time in a while have a large assortment of weapons and thus far, QB Mitch Trubiski has been having a very good season at getting them all the ball. The second-year QB is coming into his own and spreads the ball around nicely. Newcomer \u00a0Taylor Gabriel is the player to watch, he has the speed to be a game breaker. Allen Robinson looks healthy after tearing an ACL last year and tight end Trey Burton leads the team with 3 TD receptions and a 13.3 yard per catch average. Cohen is a big (if diminutive) factor out of the backfield.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriots corners have played very well this year, it is the play of the safeties that have been up and down. But the real issue is the lack of consistent pressure on the QB. The Patriots have just seven sacks, that isn\u2019t going to get it done, they have to start creating ways to get more pressure on the QB. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking for Trubiski to get Burton and Cohen involved in this one early. Running the RPO (run\/pass option) similar but not exactly the same as KC, they\u2019ll try to freeze up the Patriots linebackers, get Trubiski outside the pocket and hit his WRs downfield.<\/span><\/p>\n

Special Teams- <\/b>Razor\u2019s Edge New England<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

The Patriots have a slight advantage here in the kicking game with Stephen Gostkowski and Ryan Allen over Cody Parkey and Pat O\u2019Donnell. Parkey had a chance to win the game in Miami in overtime and sailed it wide right. Gostkowski has been very solid for over a decade. The Bears have the fast Cohen in the return game but the Patriots counter with Cordarrelle Patterson and Julian Edelman on their own. Look for the Patriots to tighten up their coverage units this week. They\u2019ve been uncharacteristically leaky. <\/span><\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is a big game for both teams. Both are sitting atop of their respective divisions but have other teams tied with them and must keep pace. The Bears have a dynamic offense for a change and things are definitely trending in the right direction for them. The Patriots are turning it on as well after a slow start. They\u2019ve won three in a row and are averaging nearly 40 points a game in those. <\/span><\/p>\n

Look for Tom Brady to throw first and then run against the Bears defense this week. Breaking what they have been doing in establishing the running game first. I\u2019m looking for him to try to get Edelman and Gronkowski involved early. With all of the focus on Mack and his health, Hicks and Trevathan are the X-Factors for the Bears defense this week. The Bears watched the tape of the KC game and running a similar offense, they\u2019ll try to do much of the same things utilizing their team speed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key from a New England perspective is to start fast and get the Bears in a catch-up\/keep up mode. The turnover battle will be huge here. This one will be close for three quarters but a late Brady TD pass puts NE over the top. <\/span>Patriots 34-21<\/b><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter <\/span><\/i>@SteveB7SFG<\/span><\/i><\/a> or email me at <\/span><\/i>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our <\/span><\/i>Patriots 4<\/span><\/i>th<\/span><\/i> and 2<\/span><\/i><\/a> podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from <\/span><\/i>PatsFans.com<\/span><\/i><\/a> discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":19133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1826,1198,1519,11,274,10],"tags":[1763,1703,354,291,34,610,599,154,78,1833,17,1622,1848,1849,44,70,8,117,1776,1354,1850,1595,13,35],"class_list":["post-19754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2018-patriots-regular-season","category-nfl-commentary","category-nfl-news","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-film-room","category-patriots-news","tag-2018-nfl-season","tag-2018-patriots-season","tag-akiem-hicks","tag-allen-robinson","tag-bill-belichick","tag-chicago-bears","tag-chris-hogan","tag-donta-hightower","tag-james-white","tag-josh-gordon","tag-julian-edelman","tag-khalil-mack","tag-matt-nagy","tag-mitch-trubiski","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-rob-gronkowski","tag-sony-michel","tag-stephon-gilmore","tag-tarik-cohen","tag-taylor-gabriel","tag-tom-brady","tag-trey-flowers"],"yoast_head":"\nPatriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PatsFans.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg?fit=1724%2C1149&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1149\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Balestrieri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SteveB7SFG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@patsfans\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\"},\"headline\":\"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1595,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2018 NFL Season\",\"2018 Patriots season\",\"Akiem Hicks\",\"Allen Robinson\",\"Bill Belichick\",\"Chicago Bears\",\"Chris Hogan\",\"Dont'a Hightower\",\"James White\",\"josh gordon\",\"Julian Edelman\",\"Khalil Mack\",\"Matt Nagy\",\"Mitch Trubiski\",\"New England Patriots\",\"NFL\",\"Patriots\",\"Rob Gronkowski\",\"Sony Michel\",\"Stephon Gilmore\",\"Tarik Cohen\",\"Taylor Gabriel\",\"Tom Brady\",\"Trey Flowers\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2018 Patriots Regular Season\",\"NFL Commentary\",\"NFL News\",\"Patriots Commentary\",\"Patriots Film Room\",\"Patriots News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg\",\"width\":1724,\"height\":1149,\"caption\":\"Tommy Gilligan - USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/18\\\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patriots Commentary\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/patriots-commentary\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"description\":\"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"PatsFans.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/PF_Social_Logo.webp\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"PatsFans.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/pfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/patsfans\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/patsfans\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@patsfans.official\"],\"foundingDate\":\"2000-06-17\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da\",\"name\":\"Steve Balestrieri\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Balestrieri\"},\"description\":\"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/steve.balestrieri\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SteveB7SFG\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.patsfans.com\\\/patriots\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/sbalestrieri\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?","description":"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | PatsFans.com","og_description":"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","og_site_name":"PatsFans.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","article_published_time":"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1724,"height":1149,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg?fit=1724%2C1149&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Balestrieri","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SteveB7SFG","twitter_site":"@patsfans","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"},"author":{"name":"Steve Balestrieri","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da"},"headline":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?","datePublished":"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"},"wordCount":1595,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg","keywords":["2018 NFL Season","2018 Patriots season","Akiem Hicks","Allen Robinson","Bill Belichick","Chicago Bears","Chris Hogan","Dont'a Hightower","James White","josh gordon","Julian Edelman","Khalil Mack","Matt Nagy","Mitch Trubiski","New England Patriots","NFL","Patriots","Rob Gronkowski","Sony Michel","Stephon Gilmore","Tarik Cohen","Taylor Gabriel","Tom Brady","Trey Flowers"],"articleSection":["2018 Patriots Regular Season","NFL Commentary","NFL News","Patriots Commentary","Patriots Film Room","Patriots News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/","name":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge? | Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-18T11:29:33+00:00","description":"It is the interior guys like Hicks that disrupt things. If Brady can\u2019t step up or slide in the pocket, then edge guys like Mack can be productive.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg","width":1724,"height":1149,"caption":"Tommy Gilligan - USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2018\/10\/18\/patriots-bears-week-7-key-matchups-who-has-the-razors-edge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patriots Commentary","item":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/category\/patriots-commentary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Patriots-Bears Week 7, Key Matchups, Who Has the Razor\u2019s Edge?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","name":"PatsFans.com","description":"Patriots Blog with News and Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#organization","name":"PatsFans.com","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/PF_Social_Logo.webp","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"PatsFans.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pfans","https:\/\/x.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/patsfans\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/patsfans","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@patsfans.official"],"foundingDate":"2000-06-17"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71433b60b6fa7632bd955481ae49f3da","name":"Steve Balestrieri","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfc4c29c648a043b9caafa2dddd23d6eff929a8dee4095b872f8bdd1a072f2cd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steve Balestrieri"},"description":"A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/steve.balestrieri","https:\/\/x.com\/SteveB7SFG"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/author\/sbalestrieri\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/2018-Week-2-Tom-Brady-WFfX8.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19755,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19754\/revisions\/19755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}