It’s okay to criticize Lucas Patrick for playing on the field. No one would mistake the guy as a top 10 center in the league. Still, he’s a pretty good player.
More importantly, he is establishing himself as a fiery leader amid their offensive needs. You could see that in the Las Vegas win. His pregame speech was great stuff that emphasized the need for physicality and grit. He wanted to take the will of the Raiders. That’s exactly what the bears did, beating them to the ground for 60 minutes.
That mindset didn’t change on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. No one is surprised that the Bruins are heavy underdogs. It’s a road game against a team with a strong passing game and a great quarterback. Justin Herbert is hard to defend at the best of times. Chicago still has a quarterback and a defense that struggles to pressure the quarterback. It will take a different effort than it did against Las Vegas to pull off the upset. It seems Patrick set the tone before he even got on the plane to Los Angeles.
The Bears’ social media team spotted him wearing an Angry Runs t-shirt. For those who don’t know, Angry Runs is a weekly segment of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football that crowns the toughest running ball carrier. That honor went to D’Onta Foreman against the Raiders. Patrick has embraced this way of thinking and wants everyone else to do the same.
Lucas Patrick deserves props for his continued intensity. It would be easy for the boys to be more prepared at 2-5 after seven games. Not Patrick. He brings the same energy every week and seems to sense a significant change in the Bears’ identity. They may not be noticeable in several areas. Their crime still continues. However, one thing is now indisputable.
They will beat you. This game against Las Vegas was not the first time this season that they physically dominated an opponent in the dugout. It also happened in Washington and Denver.
No doubt the goal is to do that against Los Angeles as well. This can be difficult. The Chargers have great players up front led by Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
However, they may have a weakness on the interior with defensive ends Nick Williams and Austin Johnson. That’s where Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins can shine. That would be quite a feather in their cap considering L.A. ranks 10th in the league against the run. Doing it on a national stage would be even sweeter.
