Patriots Matthew Slater speaks out on Bears “dirty play”

The Patriots faced a lot in their Monday night matchup against the Bears. Despite everything that took place on the field, one of the most standout moments from the game occurred in the fourth quarter.

Bailey Zappe’s pass was tipped at the line, allowing Roquan Smith to make the interception. Chicago defensive lineman Mike Pennel then landed a hard hit on Patriots David Andrews, earning the lineman a penalty for an illegal blindside block and an ejection from the game.

Andrews was down on the field for some time and was eventually helped off the field by medical personnel. He was quickly ruled out with a head injury and later placed in concussion protocol.

When asked about the incident during his post-game availability, Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus expressed his disapproval of Pennel’s actions. He stated he spoke to the lineman about it immediately and verbalized the act’s wrongness.

"“Totally in the wrong. He should not do that. And I told him right afterward. And that’s not what we teach. We don’t teach that. It’s not good football.”"

Not one to usually withhold his feelings about his teammates, Matthew Slater spoke out about the incident during an appearance on WEEI’s “Mut at Night” this week.

"“I think the league is making an effort to get those hits out of the game. I think that was an extremely dirty play (Monday) night, and my concern is with the health and well-being of David. I just hate to see any teammate down on the field like that and having to go through that type of situation. The league’s going to do what they need to do. Hopefully, they handle this situation the right way, with class and with order. But there’s really no place in our game for hits like that or plays like that.”"

Slater went on to mention Pennel’s brief stint with the Patriots in 2019, stating that the lineman has been playing the game long enough to know right from wrong.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Andrews remained in concussion protocol, and with the Patriots working on a short week, he is trending to miss the week eight game. James Ferentz appears to be the next man up if Andrews does miss some time, and with so many issues continuing on the offense, his absence could become a significant issue.