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Christian Elliss Opens Up on Missed Caleb Williams Sack and Challenge of Malik Willis
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- Christian Elliss Opens Up on Missed Caleb Williams Sack and Challenge of Malik Willis
Last week in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears , Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss missed a key sack opportunity that could have led to a safety. Instead, it prolonged a long drive for quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago offense.
On Wednesday, Elliss addressed the media and spoke about how he dials back his intensity while still playing with discipline and proper technique in key moments.
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"When I missed that sack on Caleb, I really hurt our defense because I was thinking kill, don't capture. In those types of plays, I put a lot of stress on our safeties and a lot of stress on Spillane," said Elliss.
"For me, I look at that, and next time it happens, I'm going to make sure I get the quarterback off the spot first and foremost, and they can't have a flyback."
Focus Shifts To Miami
Elliss also spoke on similarities between Williams and Dolphins dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis .
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"Malik, he's second in the league to second plays, scramble plays, behind Caleb. So I think they're very similar in that they create plays with their legs," said Elliss.
"We've got to just be prepared for that and realize who he is as a quarterback."
With limited proven linebacker depth behind him, this season Elliss has been counted on to make plays both at the line of scrimmage in the running game and as a pass rusher, as well as dropping back into coverage.
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Through 7 weeks, Elliss has played in all of New England's games and has been productive with 51 total tackles, along with a sack and a forced fumble.
This week, Elliss's challenge will be to help neutralize the Dolphins' QB-RB combination of Willis and Ollie Gordon II and make things easier for the Patriots' secondary.
On Sunday, look for the fifth-year linebacker to bounce back from his Chicago mistake and help New England's defense in a big way.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
