Belichick is more focused on the Bears' dysfunction than the Patriots' progress

Patriots

After a discouraging extra time loss to the Titans in Week 9, Jerod Mayo and the Patriots bounced back with a 19-3 victory over the Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday.

It was probably essentially the most comprehensive effort the 3-7 Patriots have put in to this point this season.

While Drake Maye (208 total yards), Rhamondre Stevenson (74 rushing yards) and New England's offense made enough plays to present the team respiration room, the Patriots' defense celebrated against Chicago, sacking nine times in a dominant performance Bears QB Caleb Williams.

But don't count Bill Belichick amongst those impressed by New England's road win.

During his weekly appearance on ESPN's “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick focused more on the Bears' sorry state than on crediting the Patriots for his or her performance in a much-needed “real” game.

“The most important thing to me is where the Bears are,” Belichick said. “I mean, they can't defend, they can't move the ball, they can't score points. … They have this All-Star quarterback, these All-Star receivers, the most talented players in the history of football, and the offensive line is a problem, they can't run the ball, they can't protect it.”

Belichick is right that Chicago's pass protection in front of Williams has been nothing short of terrible all season. The Bears gave up more than six sacks in consecutive games for the first time since 1993.

Williams has already been sacked 38 times in nine games this season. For those keeping track, the all-time record for most sacks against a single QB in a season is Houston's David Carr (76) in the 2002 season.

While Belichick gave the Bears plenty of blame for their offensive woes, the former Patriots head coach gave Maye credit for his ability to escape from tight spots and extend plays.

“I think he did a good job being able to climb and run around,” Belichick said of Maye. “I made some play-action plays where they can separate the defense because the running game, if (Rhamondre) Stevenson can get it going, it pulls some of the coverage up and the linebacker up and stuff like that.”

There have been few instances of Belichick praising the Patriots in his various media outings this season.

While Belichick was quick to criticize Mayo and the Patriots after missteps within the media or losses on the sector, he remained largely silent when New England got a win.

After ignoring a lot of the discourse following New England's win over the Bengals in Week 1 and Drake Maye's promising debut against Houston, Belichick once more focused on the Jets' mistakes fairly than the Patriots' own play after their Week 8 victory about New York.

“Just a lot of mistakes by the Jets, and that's what killed them in the end, with Jacoby [Brissett’s] argues. [Kayshon] Boutte made a catch down there,” Belichick said on “The Pat McAfee Show” last month. “There were several drops in the game.

“But just one game where you look at Jacoby – and then [Haason] Reddick came into the game and ran past the quarterback several times, whether it was Maye or Jacoby. … Big home win for the Patriots against the Jets. And [the] Jets are in a tough spot now.”