Thursday night, Soldier Field. Bears 30, Patriots 24. Chicago is 5-2, and New England's three-game win streak is gone.

Caleb Williams went 22 of 33 for 308 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions, a 116.7 rating. Drake Maye answered with 24 of 31 for 321 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, plus a rushing score of his own. This one deserved the full sixty minutes.

The Bears built the lead. They were up 10-0 after the first quarter and 20-7 with 14 seconds left in the half. Then Maye hit Rhamondre Stevenson on a 48-yard catch and run on the final play of the half, and it was 20-14.

Chicago answered out of the break. Colston Loveland's 12-yard touchdown catch capped a 9-play, 72-yard drive, and it was 27-14. Maye found Eli Raridon for a 30-yard score to stay in it.

The fourth quarter belonged to Cairo Santos and his nerves. He missed a 53-yarder off the right upright, then drilled a career-long 58-yard field goal with 1:34 left after a 10-yard sack of Williams on third and 5 nearly pushed Chicago out of range. 30-21. Andy Borregales answered with a 47-yarder at the 37-second mark. The Bears recovered the onside kick and the night was theirs.

Luther Burden III did all of his damage early: 4 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, every one of them in the first half. Loveland finished with 7 catches for 69 yards and the score. D'Andre Swift ground out 78 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. For New England, Stevenson had 5 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown plus 22 rushing yards, and A.J. Brown was held to 3 quiet catches for 48 yards.

Williams had the line of the night after it, and it was not about the stats. Via the NY Post: "These nights are awesome. You play against another good team on a primetime game in a short week, these games are awesome because you get to see who you are as a team. That's who we are. We're a smashmouth football team, an innovative team. And when things happen and things don't go our way and the water is rocky, we stay steady."

Mike Ditka was honored before kickoff. Cole Kmet appeared to get hurt in the fourth quarter, and that is the one to watch into the weekend.

Chicago is 5-2 with a quarterback who just named what this team is. The rest of the league can keep guessing.

Key Facts

  • Final: Bears 30, Patriots 24 at Soldier Field, Thursday night
  • Williams: 22/33, 308 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 116.7 rating
  • Maye: 24/31, 321 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 117.8 rating, plus a rushing TD
  • Weapons: Luther Burden III 4 catches for 130 yards and a TD (all first half); Colston Loveland 7 catches for 69 yards and a TD; D'Andre Swift 22 carries for 78 yards and a TD
  • The kick: Cairo Santos missed a 53-yarder off the upright, then hit a career-long 58-yarder with 1:34 left
  • Records: Bears 5-2, Patriots 4-3 with a three-game win streak snapped

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