New England (2-7) at Chicago (4-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX
BetMGM NFL odds: Bears by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Patriots 3-5-1; Bears 4-3-1
Series record: Patriots lead 10-5.
Last meeting: Bears beat Patriots 33-14 in Foxborough, Mass., on Oct. 24, 2022.
Last week: Patriots lost 20-17 in overtime at Tennessee; Bears lost 29-9 at Arizona.
Patriots offense: overall (32), rush (24), pass (32), scoring (30).
Patriots defense: overall (25-T), rush (26), pass (22), scoring (21).
Bears offense: overall (28), rush (23), pass (29), scoring (19).
Bears defense: overall (12), rush (20), pass (8), scoring (5-T).
Turnover differential: Patriots minus-3; Bears plus-7.
QB Drake Maye. The No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft dazzled and showed he remains a work in progress last week. Maye threw for 206 yards and a dazzling touchdown at the end of regulation, dodging defenders for nearly 12 seconds before finding Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone as he was hit to force overtime. The former North Carolina star ran for 95 yards. But he also threw two interceptions, including one in OT.
QB Caleb Williams. The No. 1 overall draft pick has cooled off following a hot stretch, with a 65.4 passer rating and 49.2% completion rate (32 of 65) the past two games. In the four games prior to that, he threw for nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
Williams vs. Maye. Williams finds himself going against another top quarterback from this year's draft class for the second time in three games, after Jayden Daniels led Washington to a win on a Hail Mary pass two weeks ago. While Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, is leading a resurgence in Washington, the transition to the NFL has not been as smooth for Williams and Maye.
Patriots S Marte Mapu (neck) and DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) were hurt against Tennessee. ... Bears DT Andrew Billings was scheduled for surgery this week for a torn pectoral muscle. He left in the second half of last weekend’s game. ... The Bears expect S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) to miss his fourth straight game. ... CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) has missed the past two games. ... DE Montez Sweat (shin) and LT Braxton Jones (knee) missed the Arizona game. ... RT Darnell Wright (knee) was hurt against the Cardinals.
The Bears had lost five straight and eight of nine to the Patriots since a Super Bowl 20 victory, prior to the win in Week 7 two years ago. Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for a score, helping Chicago stop a three-game losing streak. The Bears then lost their final 10 games to finish a league-worst 3-14 in their first season under general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, trading DE Robert Quinn two days after that win and LB Roquan Smith the following week.
New England is tied with six teams for the NFL's worst record at 2-7. ... Maye's 95 yards rushing last week were third most for a QB in team history, but outside of their quarterback, the Patriots totaled 15 yards on 12 carries. ... CB Marcus Jones has been making an impact on special teams, returning a punt 44 yards last week after running one back 62 yards the previous game against the New York Jets. ... Chicago's wins are against teams with a combined 10-24 record — Tennessee (2-6), the Los Angeles Rams (4-4), Carolina (2-7) and Jacksonville (2-7). ... The Bears are 4-0 in home games, counting a win over Jacksonville in London. ... Chicago is tied for fourth in the NFL with 15 takeaways. ... The Bears gave up 213 yards rushing last week, the most they've allowed since Detroit ran for 265 on Jan. 1, 2023. ... Rookie WR Rome Odunze caught five passes for 104 yards — his second 100-yard game. The No. 9 pick had 112 yards in a Week 3 loss at Indianapolis. ... TE Cole Kmet wasn't targeted last week and had just one pass thrown his way — a 14-yard reception — in the previous game at Washington. The veteran has 303 yards and three touchdowns. ... K Cairo Santos is tied for third in the NFL with six field goals of 50 yards or more. ... Rookie Tory Taylor has a 49.1-yard gross punting average — the highest single-season mark in franchise history.
Williams might be due for a bounce-back performance against a shaky defense. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is 3-0 with three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 95.4 QB rating at Soldier Field. Williams threw for 304 yards and two scores against Carolina in Week 5 — the Bears' most recent game in Chicago.
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