Thirty points, five wins in six games, and a closing sequence that came down to one recovered onside kick. The Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 on Thursday night at Soldier Field, and they needed every bit of it.
Chicago improved to 5-2 and has now won four of its last five. The bottom line: a team that played poorly in all three phases, and lost tight end Cole Kmet to a knee injury, still found a way out.
A fast start, then a scramble
The Bears’ first-half numbers were strong. Caleb Williams went 9 of 16 for 167 yards, and Luther Burden III caught four passes for 130 of them. Kyler Gordon set the tone by sacking Drake Maye on fourth-and-5 on New England’s opening possession.
Burden did most of the damage. His 26-yard catch on the first snap led to a Cairo Santos field goal, and a 58-yard catch-and-run, helped by a downfield block from Rome Odunze, set up D’Andre Swift’s 4-yard touchdown run for a 10-0 lead. Late in the half he turned a screen into a 24-yard touchdown, weaving through the defense, to make it 20-7 with 14 seconds left.
Maye, who was 12 of 15 for 169 yards before halftime, had already answered once with a 7-yard touchdown run. With three seconds left in the half, he dumped a short pass to Rhamondre Stevenson, who broke through the Bears defense for a score that made it 20-14.
Chicago opened the third quarter with a 72-yard drive, finished by a 12-yard Williams touchdown pass to Colston Loveland, who powered through three defenders. New England replied with a 30-yard Maye touchdown throw to tight end Eli Raridon, and it was 27-21.
Santos and the onside kick
Santos had a chance to give Chicago a two-score cushion with a 53-yard try, but it clipped the right upright. He got another look after a Williams sack pushed the Bears back to the 40, and this time he hit from 58 yards, a career long, for a 30-21 lead.
Andy Borregales answered with a 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds left. New England tried an onside kick. Odunze fell on it, and that was that.
A thin Patriots roster
The Patriots arrived on a short week and short-handed. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs went to injured reserve with a shoulder injury, the team’s 11th player placed there this season, and three starting offensive linemen went down in Week 6, including the replacement for right guard Mike Onwenu. Coach Mike Vrabel put it plainly before the game: “We’ll just have to figure out who we have available and find 48 (players) to put out there.”
The Bears play again a week from Monday night, at Seattle.
Sources
- Game Recap: Bears knock off Patriots on Thursday Night Football, improve to 5-2
- Patriots Gameplan: Maye off play-action, Johnson's staples and key matchups in Thursday Night Football vs. the Bears
- Bears vs. Patriots Thursday Night Football preview and why the over 50.5 is the best play
Photo: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA (CC BY-SA 4.0)
