Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

W2W4: Patriots key areas vs. Bears

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots host the Chicago Bears on Sunday (1 p.m. ET), and here are some of the key areas to watch:

Easley on the edge: With starting right defensive end Chandler Jones ruled out with a hip injury, the likely replacement is first-round draft pick Dominique Easley. When Jones was replaced late in the Sept. 29 loss to the Kansas Chiefs, it was Easley who came on in his place. When Jones was limited Oct. 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals with a right shoulder injury, Easley once again stepped in. While rushing the quarterback is obviously a big part of playing defensive end, equally as important is the ability to set the edge in the running game and force plays back inside. Easley has flashed the ability to do this in spot duty (against Chiefs, 2:47 remaining in the third quarter), but can he string those plays together consistently? The Patriots are counting on him in a tough matchup against running back Matt Forte.

Revis as a matchup option: Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall know each other well from their tussles when Revis was with the Jets (2007-12) and Marshall was with the Dolphins (2010-11). So that background could be viewed as an asset to match Revis exclusively on Marshall. Then again, a case could be made that Alshon Jeffery represents the bigger threat down the field and perhaps Revis should be matched again him. Either way, Revis and fellow cornerback Brandon Browner have a challenging task ahead of them with two of the game's bigger receivers in Marshall (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) and Jeffery (6-3, 216). Maybe they simply play sides. Maybe they match up. The Patriots' intentions with Revis are an intriguing "game within the game."

Offensive line back together again: After seemingly finding the right combination on the offensive line Oct. 5 against the Bengals with left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Dan Connolly, center Bryan Stork, right guard Ryan Wendell and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, injuries forced a shuffle in each of the last three games as Stork has missed the last two games with a concussion, while Connolly left the Oct. 12 win over the Bills with a concussion and then missed the Oct. 16 victory over the Jets. Stork and Connolly look primed for a return, which gives the Patriots a chance to have their top group together again, which is good timing because the strength of the Bears' defense is on the line.

Stopping the run with a lighter box: With Bill Belichick referring to tight end Martellus Bennett as a big receiver, that could be a tip-off that the Patriots plan to play mostly a sub defense in this game. If that's the way it unfolds, stopping the run with a lighter box will be imperative, which the Patriots didn't do well against the Jets. Can a six-man box of ends Rob Ninkovich and Dominque Easley, tackles Vince Wilfork and Chris Jones/Casey Walker, and linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Jamie Collins, answer the challenge?

Turnovers tell the story: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made the point that the team is 5-0 in games in which it hasn't committed a turnover this season. Meanwhile, since quarterback Jay Cutler joined Chicago, the team is 21-5 in games in which he starts and does not throw an interception. When he throws multiple interceptions (as he has done three times this season), the Bears are 4-18. This is something that could be brought up any week, but the numbers are especially notable with the two teams involved.

Amendola the kickoff returner: The Patriots received a bit of a spark from receiver Danny Amendola as their primary kickoff returner. With his snaps on offense at a moderate level because the Patriots haven't been playing as many three-receiver packages (20, 24, 23 in each of the last three games), Amendola is being given a chance to show what he can do in this area. It could be a valuable niche.

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