3 Biggest X-Factors For Patriots to Defeat Bears on TNF

The New England Patriots will be heading out on the road for a big Thursday Night Football showdown with the Chicago Bears this week.

The Patriots enter this matchup on a three-game win streak, with the team sitting with a record of 4-2 on the season. New England has started to look more like the unit that went to the Super Bowl a year ago, giving this season new life.

Quarterback Drake Maye has turned his season around after a slow start, and this has allowed New England to get back on track. Maye's resurgence over the last few weeks has been arguably the biggest talking point of the Patriots season.

Here are three of the biggest X-Factors for the Patriots to take down the Bears this week:

1. Limit Caleb Williams' Explosiveness

With the Bears getting back quarterback Caleb Williams, the Patriots' defense does have a big challenge on its hands. Williams is one of the more explosive players in the NFL, and the New England pass rush is going to have to make life very tough for him.

If the Patriots allow Williams to run around the field on his own accord, it could be a very long game for this team. As head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this week, he doesn't believe that Williams' mobility is limited, with him having just returned to the field from his hamstring injury.

2. Get A.J. Brown Going

A.J. Brown returned to the field last week against the Jets, but his performance was pretty underwhelming, to say the least. Brown was targeted 10 times by Maye, but he only caught three passes for 27 yards.

The star wide receiver had multiple dropped passes, leading to all sorts of questions around his game amid his return from injury. But against the Bears, the Patriots should look to get Brown involved in the passing attack even more, trusting him to make plays, especially with fellow wideout Romeo Doubs now on injured reserve.

3. Utilizing Play-Action With Drake Maye

With Maye getting back on track, there are more ways for this team to keep his play going strong. Against the Bears, New England should look to utilize play-action to negate the aggressive Bears defensive front.

Chicago likes to use different windows and moves to confuse offenses, and play-action can help turn the tables on them. The Patriots can give themselves a better chance to score with this, opening up the entire offense in the process.