The New England Patriots will take a patchwork offensive line into Thursday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, with starting guards Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and Ben Brown (knee) ruled out for the Week 7 trip to Soldier Field.
New England head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Walter Rouse and Matt Pryor will start at guard. Tackle Morgan Moses (foot) is questionable, leaving the Patriots to prepare multiple combinations in front of quarterback Drake Maye.
Locked On Patriots host Nick Cattles called the offensive line “an absolute mash unit” during the show’s crossover with Locked On Bears. That assessment held up after Wednesday’s final injury report: Vera-Tucker and Brown joined injured reserve linemen Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten among the Patriots’ unavailable interior options.
The expected first five is left tackle Will Campbell, Rouse, center Jared Wilson, Pryor and either Moses or rookie Caleb Lomu at right tackle. The Patriots could also move Lomu inside if Moses is able to play, but the club’s own preview identified Rouse and Pryor as the clearest starting solution.
That puts the Patriots’ protection plan at the center of the matchup. Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has built a pressure-heavy unit that ranks second in third-down conversion rate allowed, according to Patriots.com. Cattles said the Bears’ simulated pressures and front-line movement will test a group that has had little time to work together.
New England can help its new guard tandem by staying ahead of the chains. The Patriots’ game preview pointed to early-down runs and play-action as ways to limit obvious passing situations against Chicago’s third-down pressure package. That approach would give Maye more chances to attack a Bears defense that has allowed big plays through the air.
Cattles predicted a 27-23 Chicago win, citing the Patriots’ injuries up front and turnover issues. For New England, the more immediate task is simpler: get through a short week with an unfamiliar interior intact long enough to give Maye and the offense a workable game script.
The Patriots and Bears kick off Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at 8:15 p.m. ET in Chicago. New England will know before kickoff whether Moses can start, but Rouse and Pryor are already set for the largest assignments of the night.
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