Carlton Davis’ true value to the Patriots could not be more clear after Bears loss

As expected in a Week 7 Thursday Night Football game, the New England Patriots were banged up and missing key starters on both sides of the ball entering a tough road game against the Chicago Bears.

The absence of cornerback Carlton Davis III has been among the biggest pain points.

Davis missed his third straight game on Thursday with a neck injury, and the Patriots are missing him. New England’s depth behind Christian Gonzalez is thin, so Marcus Jones is playing on the boundary much more than usual.

It’s not going well for Jones. He’s been a Pro Bowl-level slot corner when given those opportunities, but in 2026, he’s already played more outside snaps (93) than he did all of last season (60), per Pro Football Focus. That’s led to two of his lowest PFF coverage grades against the Raiders (48.8) and Bears (37.4) in recent weeks.

After this Bears loss, it’s becoming clear that Davis has quietly been the key that unlocks everything for the Patriots’ secondary. His return to the lineup can’t come soon enough.

Carlton Davis' absence is forcing the Patriots defense out of its comfort zone

In a sense, this Bears game is hard to gauge. The Patriots are definitely blitzing less often since their Week 4 win at Buffalo. Much of that likely comes from facing dangerous scramblers like Josh Allen and Caleb Williams, since zone keeps more eyes on the quarterback.

New England entered Week 7 with the NFL's third-highest man-to-man coverage rate in the NFL at 31.2%. But going more zone-heavy against Allen and Williams makes sense, since they can rush for back-breaking first downs when cornerbacks turn their backs to run with a receiver.

The problem on Thursday night was that Williams looked way too comfortable playing from the pocket against the Patriots’ zone looks early in the game.

Per Patriots reporter Evan Lazar, Williams completed seven of his first 10 attempts when facing zone for 117 yards. The Bears had little trouble getting the ball to Luther Burden and their other skill-position players in space throughout a first half that saw them build a 20-7 lead.

It all traces back to Davis. Williams’ speed, plus New England being down its top coverage corner opposite Gonzalez, led to another zone-heavy game plan. The Bears took advantage.

Marcus Jones is being asked to fill a role that doesn't play to his strengths

It’s hard to pile too much on Jones, as he’s been one of the Patriots’ best all-around players for years. He’s having a rough month, though.

At 5-foot-8 and 188 pounds, teams haven’t been shy about targeting Jones in matchups featuring bigger wide receivers and tight ends. And when those receivers do catch the football, Jones is having a tough time ending the play at the catch point.

Jones missed a staggering six tackles against the Bears, per PFF. He missed 11 tackles during the 2025 season, including the playoffs, on a career-high 905 snaps. This year, he already has nine missed tackles in 365 snaps.

It’s definitely not time to panic. Jones is an important piece for the Patriots’ defense, and he should start to ascend once he starts matching up with slot receivers more in his weight class in the coming weeks.

That could come in Week 8, after the Patriots emerge from a 10-day break between games to play the Dolphins. Davis was a limited participant in practice this week before being ruled out on Wednesday. That should give him a realistic shot at returning.

The Patriots need him. Davis unlocks so much for the defense. More of its bread-and-butter coverages. More Jones in the slot. More of the exotic blitz packages that we’ve seen make quarterbacks’ heads spin.

Davis’ importance to the Patriots can’t be overstated. The defense should look a lot different once he returns to the lineup.

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