The Patriots are just a little over a week removed from facing the Bears on Thursday Night Football, a game that could have gone their way had they not made costly mistakes or, better yet, their offense wasn't so depleted due to injuries.
Instead, they left Chicago with a loss. Although that's generally not a positive, there was plenty that was positive about their performance. Drake Maye put in another strong performance, and the team learned a lot about how they stack up against some of the league's best talent.
The quarterback was fortunate to avoid a few of those players in that game, with defensive end Montez Sweat missing the game because he was suspended, and based on what we saw from Jeffery Simmons in his debut with the Bears on Monday Night Football, it's clear Maye and the rest of the offense avoided another potential disaster there, too.
The longtime Titans star, who seemingly teased wanting a reunion with Mike Vrabel in New England this past offseason, was traded for two first-round picks last week. The Bears already had a good defense, but it's gotten even better now with Simmons in the lineup.
That was beyond apparent in Seattle on Monday night, with Sam Darnold seeing ghosts all night long, which is something Maye is fortunate to have avoided by just one week.
Jeffery Simmons would have been a monster against the Patriots last week
The Patriots have faced most of the league's best defenses over the past two years, and we saw that a lot in 2025. The start of this season was the same, which made the offense struggle, including Maye, so avoiding any game-changing player is always a plus.
That's why Sweat missing last week's game and Simmons not being traded until afterward were major wins for the Patriots, even if they left Chicago with a loss.
Simmons played nearly the entire game against the Seahawks on Monday night, despite joining the team just five days earlier. He made his presence felt immediately, recording a team-high 6 combined tackles, 2 for a loss, a quarterback hit, a pass defended, and a sack.
He was an absolute menace for the Seahawks all night, particularly Darnold, who will inevitably have nightmares about Simmons' face for the foreseeable future.
He proved he was worth every cent that the Bears traded for him, and then some, and he could have easily done the same damage, if not more, to a beaten-up Patriots offensive line had he been on their roster for their Week 7 game.
Mike Vrabel and Co. can be forever grateful, as the game could have gone much differently had he been around.
They'll be lucky to avoid Micah Parsons when they welcome the Packers to Gillette Stadium for Week 9, since the pass rusher is out with the ACL injury he suffered last season. That doesn't mean they should overlook the rest of their defense, but avoiding another defensive superstar is always a good thing.
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