Patriots Stock Report: Which Position Groups Rose, Fell vs. Bears?

The New England Patriots' battle with the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday night had the visiting team flash plenty of inconsistencies.

Many of New England's positions shined, or struggled, as a collective. Here are the stock reports on the groups which had the biggest impacts in either regard.

STOCK DOWN: Wide Receiver

New England's wide receiver room may have been the biggest contributor to the team's loss on Thursday night. A.J. Brown, DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism and Kyle Williams combined for just seven receptions on 12 targets. Those catches went for 87 yards and no touchdowns.

As the primary target at wide receiver, Brown struggled once again. He has caught just three passes in each of his trio of games as a Patriot.

"I think (the Bears' defense) did a really good job," Brown said after the game. "Early on, (offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) tried to do a really good job of getting me involved and Drake just was taking what they were giving. They were trying to take me away early on, and that's just kind of how the game played."

STOCK UP: Tight End

What the Patriots lacked in production from its wide receivers, it made up for with its tight ends. Veteran Hunter Henry tallied seven receptions for 71 yards, including multiple crucial first down conversions. Also, rookie Eli Raridon got on the board for three receptions, 56 yards and a touchdown.

The main highlight from those two? Raridon's 30-yard score late in the third quarter.

"(He's) great, man," Henry said on Thursday about Raridon. "Just continuing to get better and growing that confidence. A lot of fun to play with."

STOCK UP: Quarterback

To address the elephant in the room, yes, Drake Maye's interception was borderline unacceptable. After being turnover-free in his last two games, the third-year signal caller reverted back to his early-season struggles by tossing a pick in the red zone.

Other than that, however, Maye was near-perfect on the evening. He finished 24/31 passing for 321 yards and two touchdowns, alongside the interception. On the ground, he added an extra 26 yards and a score.

In a game where he was constantly pressured, and his receivers were struggling to get open, Maye was one of the lone reasons why New England had any chance of beating Chicago.

"He gave us a chance," Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said about Maye after the loss. "He competed. And I know he'd like to have that throw back to Eli, but I thought that he really competed. Whether that was running around and scrambling or finding good places to go with the football, he gave us a chance."

STOCK DOWN: Cornerback

The Patriots' pass defense was borderline non-existent on Thursday. Their completion percentage allowed (66.7%) was largely aided by a few bad drops by Bears receivers. Plus, Caleb Williams tossed for over 300 yards and two touchdowns.

While the defense as a whole improved in the second half, the secondary struggled immensely in the first 30 minutes against dynamic wide receiver Luther Burden III. The second-year pass catcher hauled in four receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown — all coming in the first half of play.

STOCK STAGNANT: Running Back

New England's running back room struggled immensely in the ground game, but helped make up for the wide receivers' struggles in the pass game. Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson and Corey Kiner combined for only 13 carries and 44 yards, and played a significant role in the Patriots' slow start to the night.

However, Stevenson also ended the night with five receptions for a team-high 93 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a 48-yard catch-and-run with no time remaining in the first half to cut the Bears' lead to one possession.

STOCK DOWN: Offensive Line

Between penalties, pressures allowed on Maye and an inability to find momentum in the run game, the Patriots offensive line combined for a perfectly imperfect performance on Thursday.

Offensive tackle Morgan Moses was called for a hold to back New England up from 2nd-and-2 to 2nd-and-12. Plus, he allowed three pressures and a sack on the evening, per PFF. Every other starter on the line allowed one pressure and was called for a penalty, except for center Jared Wilson who had a clean sheet in both regards.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!