Hub Arkush: Are Bears ready to take on NFL royalty?
Let's get the basics out of the way.
Bill Belichick is the greatest coach in the history of the NFL and as if that wasn't enough Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL and even at 41 is the reigning Most valuable Player in the NFL coming off his best game of the season having hung 43 on the Chiefs last Sunday night for a last-second win.
The news could be worse. After Friday's practice it seems likely Khalil Mack, Allen Robinson and Prince Amukamara should all be good to go Sunday and only Bryce Callahan remains a question mark among the Bears key contributors.
And there is this, the last time the Pats went on the road they were beaten badly at Detroit four weeks ago, 26-10 in a game in which they managed just 209 yards of total offense and Brady's slash line was 14-26, 133, 5.1, 1 TD, 1 Int., 2 sacks, 65.1.
It was Brady's least productive game since he threw for just 114 yards in 27-17 win over the Dolphins on October 27, 2013.
Of course the Lions rookie head coach, Matt Patricia knows Belichick and Brady as well as anyone but Belichick and Brady, but you can bet Vic Fangio has studied that tape more than once this week.
A new problem for Fangio and company however is two guys the Bears D-coordinator won't find in that Lions tape, Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon.
Since Edelman (2 games ago) and Gordon (3 games ago) have hit the field the Pats have routed the Dolphins 38-7, Colts 38-24 and pummeled the Chiefs last week, all in Foxborough.
The Pats have also discovered rookie, first round draft pick Sony Michel, currently 10th in the NFL with 400 yards rushing, a 4.4 average and four TD's, 316 of those yards and all four scores coming in the last three games.
For our last kick in the teeth we cannot forget the NFL's greatest matchup nightmare and quite possibly the greatest tight end of all time, Rob Gronkowski.
There are a few silver linings here. Even after last Sunday's debacle in Miami the Bears are still 4th in the NFL in points allowed, 4th against the run, 3rd in QB Sack percentage, clearly a better defense than Detroit's, and while Brady is an uncharacteristic 18th in interception percentage this year having thrown 6 picks, the Bears are number one in the league in interception percentage on defense.
If the Bears can get great pressure up the middle from Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Roy Robertson Harris with hands in the air to try and keep Brady from getting the ball out as quickly as he normally does, and not allow him to step up in the pocket when he doesn't, limit Gronk presumably with some combination of Leonard Floyd, Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos and Callahan can go and can neutralize Edelman in the slot, they can mirror the Lions work of a few weeks ago.
More good news is the 24 points New England allowed the Colts two weeks ago and the 40 the Chiefs put on them last week.
Here Matt Nagy will have to try and identify the Pats poison as the Chiefs scored 40 with huge explosions in the air, while the Lions beat them by dominating the Patriots on the ground with rookie Kerryon Johnson, and kept Brady and the boys on the sidelines with a 19:00 time of possession advantage.
The Bears are 4th in the league in TOP and were 1st prior to the Dolphins game.
Overall New England's 'D' is just 21st and equally mediocre against the run (18th) and pass (21st), and they are dead last in the league in quarterback sack percentage.
For all the focus on Trubisky, Howard, Cohen, Robinson, Gabriel, Burton and Miller, if the Bears are to win this is a game their offensive line can and will have to dominate and it seems Howard will need more work.
Sunday is not a must win for either team, but after last Sunday's slop-fest this is a game that will give us a much clearer picture of who these young Bears really are and how far they've come.
• Twitter: @Hub_Arkush