5 Things to Watch: Chicago Bears vs New England Patriots

The Chicago Bears look to bounce back this week against the New England Patriots. Here are five things Bears fans should keep an eye on.

The Chicago Bears have had an interesting week. It started off last Thursday when they were drubbed by the Denver Broncos 22-0 in their opening game of the preseason. The overreactions were rampant.

Fans and even some analysts were throwing up their hands. The offensive line was shredded (rightfully so), but even the coaching staff was ripped for being ill-prepared. That’s where overreactions are dangerous and fans need to pump the brakes.

The Bears offense looked dreadful against Denver, there is no denying it. But it was only the first preseason game and the Bears coaching staff didn’t even put in a game plan for the match-up. They were only worried about looking at individual performances.

Since the game, the Bears flew out to New England for three days of joint practices with the Patriots that were spirited, to say the least. There were plenty of scuffles and shoving matches but more importantly, the practices were productive.

The Bears square off against those Patriots tonight as they look to improve upon their first performance of the year. The Bears will certainly look better tonight (largely because they can’t look worse), but even if they struggle again it still won’t be time to panic.

Tonight’s game will again be a chance to look at individual Bears players and units. With that said, here are five things Bears fans should focus on tonight against the Patriots.