Bears coach Nagy: 'Our run game needs to improve'
Because QB Mitch Trubisky rushed for a career-high 81 yards on just 6 carries in Sunday's 38-31 loss, the Bears finished with 134 yards on the ground, well above average in the NFL.
But the Bears' run game continues to leave room for improvement. Coach Matt Nagy was asked if, by factoring in Trubisky's contributions, he was "happy" with Sunday's effort.
"No," Nagy said, emphatically. "No. Our run game needs to improve. We've got some yards with (Mitch) running the ball, but to me, that's a scramble, and that's him making things happen. That's him growing as a quarterback, but our run game has to get better. It's everybody. We just need to figure out how we can do that, what's best for us identity-wise, and it's not one person."
Aside from Trubisky's 13.5-yard average, there wasn't much for the Bears to be proud of on the ground. Jordan Howard managed 39 yards on 12 carries (3.3-yard average), Tarik Cohen had just 14 yards on 6 attempts (2.3-yard average) and Taylor Gabriel was held to no gain on his lone carry. Those three combined for a long play of just six yards.
"We need to get the run going, get Jordan going," ORT Bobby Massie said. "He's been a 1,000-yard rusher the past two years, and we're going to get it going. We've just got to stick with it, keep grinding, and holes are going to open up, (and) Jordan (will be) breaking tackles and be the guy that everybody loves."
Howard rushed for 1,313 yards as a rookie in 2016 and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Last year he had 1,122 rushing yards and a 4.1-yard average. This year he's on pace for 829 yards and is averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
No room for error:
CB Kyle Fuller got his third interception in two games, when he intercepted a Tom Brady pass that was deflected by intended receiver FB James Develin and Bears S Adrian Amos with the Bears trailing 38-24 with 6:24 remaining.
But Brady still finished with a 108.2 passer rating with 3 touchdowns and 277 yards.
"In games like this, your room for error is slim in all phases," Fuller said. "No matter what we did good, there are still a couple of things that we have to clean up against a team like that."
Despite good coverage, Fuller allowed Josh Gordon's 19-yard reception on a fourth-and-1 play midway through the second quarter that carried to the Bears' 23-yard line and set up the TD that gave the Patriots a 21-17 lead.
"I was in position," Fuller said. "It was a good, back-shoulder throw; good catch. Nothing more."
Get a grip:
The Bears' tackling wasn't quite as sloppy as a week ago against the Dolphins, but it wasn't very good vs. the Patriots, either.
The most egregious example occurred on what should have been a 20-yard completion to Josh Gordon. But, instead it turned into a 55-yard pickup when S Eddie Jackson and CB Prince Amukamara both missed him at the Bears' 35-yard line. Gordon sprinted down to the one-yard line, where the Patriots scored what turned out to be the winning points two plays later.
"There were a lot of leaky plays, leaky yardage," Amukamara said. "Whether it's the screen game or the run game, I think we could be better in that."
Sitting it out:
Bears OLB Khalil Mack (ankle), WR Allen Robinson (groin) and nickel CB Bryce Callahan were all active vs. the Patriots. Callahan, who was injured at the end of Thursday's practice, did not practice on Friday, while Mack and Robinson were limited all week.
The Bears' inactives were CB Marcus Cooper (hamstring), FB Michael Burton, OLB Kyle Fitts, OL's Rashaad Coward and Bryan Witzmann, WR Javon Wims and DT Nick Williams.
For the Patriots, perennial Pro Bowl TE Rob Gronkowski (back, ankle) did not make the trip to Chicago. New England's other inactives were TE Jacob Hollister (hamstring), DL's John Simon, Keionta Davis and Geneo Grissom, and OL's Marcus Cannon (concussion) and Brian Schwenke.
• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.