The Patriots' defense just survived film review against the Jets, but Mike Vrabel's scheme has two glaring vulnerabilities that the Bears will absolutely target Sunday. Run defense in nickel packages and the coverage assignments when Zak Kuhr gets to Cover 0 — those are the battlegrounds. And frankly, Ben Johnson's offense is built to exploit exactly those gaps.
Here's the concern: Nickel personnel is supposed to keep linebackers off the field and dbs on it. That works great when you're playing third-and-long. But stopping the run in nickel — keeping gap integrity without traditional run-stopping linebackers — requires perfect alignment and assignment discipline every single snap. One busted read, one missed assignment, and you're bleeding yards. The Patriots haven't shown they have that locked down yet.
The Kuhr question is different but equally worrying. When the Patriots dial up Cover 0 — that's man coverage with no deep safety, blitzing the back — it's a one-on-one game. Kuhr has to execute his coverage assignment flawlessly. Johnson's known for manufacturing quick hitting plays and max-protect schemes that neutralize blitzes. If Kuhr gets beat, there's no safety net. Literally.
What matters here is the timing. Drake Maye's game against the Jets showed maturity in the film study room, according to the tape review. But defense is where championships are won in November. The run defense in nickel and Kuhr's coverage assignments aren't small technical details — they're the difference between a defensive unit that forces the pace and one that gets gassed chasing Ben Johnson's tempo.
Chicago's running game should be licking its chops at the nickel looks. Watch for that closely Sunday. And if Kuhr struggles in Cover 0, Vrabel will either need to adjust his blitz calls or find different personnel. Either way, these are fixable problems if the Patriots ID them fast. But they need to ID them before they become habits.