Game Rewind: The Patriots needed all three phases to come through for them in 38-31 win over the Bears. The offense, defense and special teams all made key plays in this game. As a result, the Patriots secured their first road win of the season.

Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. Specials Teams Were Special: You could make the case that this was the best special teams performance of any Patriots team during the Belichick era. Cordarrelle Patterson returner a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and Dont’a Hightower blocker a punt that Kyle Van Noy returned for a touchdown. The Patriots needed all three phases to play well yesterday in order to win and they did.

2. Sony Michel’s Knee Injury: Michel left the game early in the second quarter with a gruesome looking knee injury. This is bad news for Michel and the Patriots, especially when you consider the fact that Michel had knee problems at Georgia and missed time in training camp after having his knee scoped. All parties are collectively holding their breaths and hoping for some good news come Monday.

3. Brady to Gordon Was On Point: With Rob Gronkowski out and Sony Michel sidelined, the Patriots had to throw the ball more and they did. Tom Brady specifically targeted Josh Gordon and for the first in his short tenure in New England, you could see that Brady trusted Gordon. The two are finally on the same page and that is not good for defenses around the league.

4. Defense Struggles Again: The Patriots defense continued to struggle this week. They had a hard time containing Mitchell Trubisky and getting off the field in key situations. Defenses around the league are struggling collectively but it is not good when you are a Super Bowl contender with a bad defense.

5. James White Steps Up: Michel goes down, White steps up. James White is good ol Mr. Reliable any time the Patriots need him and worth every penny of his contract. White ran the ball and made plays in the passing game when the Patriots needed them the most.