The Bears need a win Sunday against the New England Patriots. Like, so, so bad.

They have spiraled a bit during a two-game losing streak following a Hail Mary loss in Washington and a shellacking in Arizona. Head coach Matt Eberflus needs to get his team out of it right now, before NFC North play starts in Week 11.

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While having a two-win team come to Solider Field, where the Bears have won eight straight, seems like a golden opportunity to get back in the win column, it’s no lock.

There are some questions the Bears have hanging over them, none of them super positive, that must get worked out before and/or during this upcoming game.

They’re facing some injury issues and execution problems as of late, plus a head-scratching turn of events that has left a major contributor without many opportunities.

Let’s take a look at the top storylines surrounding this Week 10 matchup.

Can Chicago protect Caleb?

This was somewhat of an issue even when the Bears offensive line was at full strength. It was magnified when left tackle Braxton Jones went down with a knee injury in Week 8 and became an even bigger deal after right tackle Darnell Wright became unavailable, with six sacks piling up last week in Arizona.

Neither player will go on Sunday against the New England Patriots, leaving flank protection to those who haven’t played much. New England’s sack percentage ranks 28^th in the NFL, so their pass rush isn’t formidable but it may be productive given the current state of the Bears line.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was quick to point out that sacks are a team stat, and the protection, the quarterback and even the skill players must do well to make sure plays are executed well and the ball gets out on time to avoid these drive-killing negative plays.

Will Cole Kmet, DJ Moore be active parts of the offense?

Bears tight end Cole Kmet has been targeted just once (plus a 2-point conversion) since going off in a win over Jacksonville. He has just 14 yards of recorded offense during a two-game losing streak.

DJ Moore has been thrown to way more than that during this stretch, but has just six catches for 60 yards on 13 targets.

While each game flows different, defenses have a say in where openings become available and there are plenty of targets for Williams to chose from, taking easy profits when possible will be key to the offense improving efficiency.

Kmet can provide those in the middle of the field. Moore can take big chunks and make tough catches in important situations. Williams also has Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze and even D’Andre Swift working out of the backfield available to him, so he can’t force-feed Moore and Kmet. Target share is a tricky thing to demand, but keeping those two involved is as important as anything to maintaining solid production.

The Bears are notoriously slow starters, so a few schemed early touches for Moore and Kmet, plus an efficient run game, could establish an early lead and an easy path to victory.

Can a shaky run defense get right?

The Bears allowed 213 rushing yards to Arizona, with a damning 53-yard explosive touchdown just before the half. Chunk runs have been an issue all season, with those moments contributing heavily to the fact the Bears have allowed at least 119 ground yards six of their eight games this season. Their highest outputs have come within the last two weeks, with 381 yards allowed in that span.

New England is 24^th in rushing offense, Rhamondre Stevenson’s efficiency has been low of late. The Bears have their own problems despite those facts, and are now operating with massive defensive tackle Andrew Billings on injured reserve. Expect Zacch Pickens to see more time inside on early downs, and he’ll need to maintain the point of attack and gap control to help the run defense execute well.

If the Bears can slow the run, that’ll help their overall effort tremendously and give them some momentum heading into a tougher challenge the following week versus Green Bay.

How will Kyler Gordon, Montez Sweat returns impact defense?

The Bears have missed Kyler Gordon these last two weeks. The slot cornerback is an often unheralded member of this defense, doing so much to help the run defense and passing game. The Bears essentially live in the sub package, meaning he’s part linebacker and crucial cover man on third downs especially. Josh Blackwell and Reddy Steward had some nice moments in his stead, but they don’t play to Gordon’s caliber.

It takes time to recover from a significant hamstring injury, especially with how Gordon plays his position. After three calendar weeks and ready to contribute.

Sweat took a cleat to his shin against Washington, and the bruising held him out against Arizona. His impact is obvious, both in the attention he attracts and the game-changing production he generates. He was sorely missed off the edge and his presence alone will change how the Bears are approached.

While the Bears are experiencing injury issues in other spots, the return of Gordon and Sweat makes the Bears defense significantly stronger.

Will Soldier Field remain friendly confines?

The Bears haven’t lost a regular-season game at Solider Field in more than a calendar year, with eight straight victories in that time. Will that hold up at the start of and throughout an important three game home stretch?

It’s essential to the team’s overall success this season. While we’ve talked a ton about how the Bears have and will respond to difficult losses, cornerback Jaylon Johnson was dead right when saying game day performance is all that matters.

“I mean it’s easy to be good when we’re practicing,” Johnson said. “I mean for me like I have been saying all year it’s about what we do on Sunday. We can talk, ‘Oh, yeah we feel good going into the game and we get our ass whooped again.’ To me it don’t really matter, but I think just overall I feel like we’re always going to continue to fight, continue to find ways to push forward, but at the end of the day we got to show up on Sunday.”