Bears vs. Patriots: Keys to a victory

The Chicago Bears are regrouping and trying to get back on track. And just in time, here come the two-win New England Patriots .

It feels like a get-right spot for Chicago, but fans know better. We've seen this team sink to new lows and find ways to stumble over themselves and give away the most winnable of games.

The Bears need to step up offensively and defensively after last week's debacle in the desert.

The defense that they could once lean on has been getting gashed on the ground.

But the Bears have played better at home this season. Maybe a little home cooking can cover up some of the bad taste that's been lingering since the bye week.

Sam: Just take care of business. This is a bad team and the Bears have no business losing to them. The OL needs to come out and play hard and block well. Establish the run and use the short passing game to get Caleb in a rhythm and throwing quickly. On defense, don't let Rhamondre Stevenson gash you and force Drake Maye into mistakes.

Jacob: Win in the trenches. Keep Caleb Williams upright and give him a chance to scan the field past his first read, which the Bears have had trouble scheming open this season. On defense, put Drake Maye under duress and force him to get the ball out quickly. The more pressure you can generate, especially against a rookie quarterback, the tougher it will be for the opposition to get momentum going on offense.

Bryan: Get Cole Kmet involved early and score a damn TD in the 1st quarter. Starting fast will open up the playbook and help out our defense at the same time. On D, we need to play with some attitude and toughness, particularly at the LOS. If we can avoid being bullied again, we should do enough on D to win the game. Waldron and Co. is a different story, but starting fast will help.

Lester: I like the commit to the run mantra as much as the next guy, but this week, the passing games will be key for both teams. The Pats stink at rushing the passer, but the Bears stink at protecting the passer, which is similar to last week's game in Arizona. The Bears need to clean that up this week. New England is also bad in pass pro, so the Bears need to get after Drake Maye as much as possible. He's a rookie, so make him uncomfortable.

Jack R Salo: The Patriots defense will be a good measuring stick for Caleb Williams decision-making. Can he take the stuff underneath? It will be important for him to trust his guys to get yards after the catch, because this Patriots defense is tied for the 7th-most yards allowed per reception. A big part of that will be playing on-time, getting D'Andre Swift receptions with blockers in front. Any and all plays scripted for Gerald Everett need to be re-written for Cole Kmet.

Fellow rookie quarterback Drake Maye is coming off a game where he had 95 yards rushing, although he threw two interceptions including the final play of the game. Keep him in the pocket, bend but don't break, and he'll put the ball in harm's way eventually.

What do you think the Bears need to do to win Sunday? Can they break their losing streak?