10 Key Takeaways from the New England Patriots’ Loss to the Chicago Bears

A heavyweight bout featuring two prolific offenses was the expectation entering Thursday night’s contest between the New England Patriots (4-3) and Chicago Bears (5-2), and that’s exactly what transpired on the playing field.

Unfortunately for New England, they ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard after being unable to overcome an early 10-0 deficit and fell to Chicago, 30-24. An otherwise outstanding showing from the offense was marked by untimely errors paired with an uncharacteristically negligent showing from the defense. That led to extensive drives for the opposition, and ultimately, kept the visitors in a perpetual state of pursuit.

Here are 10 key takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to the Bears:

All eyes were fixed on the matchup between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams entering Thursday night’s contest, and neither disappointed.

Maye continued his recent excellence as the driving force of a New England offense that became one dimensional early, and maintained that status throughout. Of the Patriots’ 380 offensive yards, Maye accounted for 347 himself, finishing the game 24-of-31 passing (77.4% completion percentage) with 321 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 117.8, and an EPA/play of +0.30 (per SūmerSports). He led the team in rushing yards (26), and added one rushing touchdown to his totals.

His one singular blemish — a second quarter interception in the red zone — became a defining moment of the game, and a fatal mistake that the team was unable to rise above. 

Down 13-7, New England was in the midst of a six-play, 53-yard drive with the potential to take their first lead of the contest. Maye had just gained 15 yards on a signature scramble, juking out cornerback Jaylon Johnson to push the Patriots’ offense into the red zone for the second time in the evening after capping off their first trip with an outstretched rushing touchdown that just barely broke the plane. Then, Maye dropped back to pass and looked for the kill shot — a target to Eli Raridon up the seam against Cover 1 — but the ball drifted low and away from his intended receiver and into the waiting arms of linebacker D’Marco Jackson. 

Chicago would immediately mount a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to take a commanding 20-7 lead.

The interception was a crucial turning point for both teams, but that wasn’t the end of New England’s comeback hopes in the game. Following the interception, Maye engineered a two-play, 66-yard drive in the final 14 seconds of the first half to draw back within six points at the break, and then another nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to the same end when the Patriots recovered possession in the third quarter.

New England’s next two possessions, however, would be the nail in the coffin: a four-and-out after picking up a first down on the first play of their ensuing drive, and a three-and-out to follow — each occurring with the score deadlocked at 27-21. The Bears would mount one final drive, ending in a 58-yard field goal, to extend their lead to two possessions with 1:34 remaining. But the writing was already on the wall for the Patriots by that point.

In the loss, Maye accomplished several feats. Thursday night was his fourth consecutive game with three-plus total touchdowns, and his second 300-plus yard passing performance of the season. His two touchdown passes were both 30-plus yards, marking the second time this season he’s thrown multiple 30-plus yard touchdown passes in the same game and extending his NFL-best mark of 12 such scores since the beginning of the 2025 season.

Maye’s pocket navigation, elusiveness, and ability to beat a heavy dose of Bears blitzes were all positives in the loss, but his few mistakes were back-breaking on the game’s result nonetheless. Maye did all he could in another hyper-productive performance, but the offense’s inability to find balance and execute in the critical moments is what determined the outcome. 

A bitter conclusion to an otherwise exciting outing.

It was another quiet expedition for A.J. Brown in his second game back from a high ankle sprain that kept him sidelined from Weeks 2-5. 

While not the terribly inefficient performance he put together in his return last week, Brown was still a non-factor for the vast majority of Thursday night’s loss. He was targeted on the first offensive play of the night, but his first catch didn’t come until the Patriots’ final drive of the first half: Brown was on the receiving end of a 14-yard dig with three seconds remaining to set up Maye’s 48-yard touchdown to Rhamondre Stevenson as time expired.

Brown’s second reception negated a Morgan Moses hold on New England’s opening drive of the third quarter, hauling in a comeback past the sticks for a gain of 16 yards and a first down. His final catch came on another comeback route with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter and Chicago opting to play prevent defense with time winding down. 

Maye took two deep shots targeting Brown during the game, both of which fell incomplete. The first came on the second play of their opening drive of the third quarter; Brown ran a double-move on Malik Muhammad II, who appeared to make early contact with the receiver, but there was no pass interference called on the play and Brown was unable to complete the catch. The second came with 1:01 remaining in the fourth quarter; Maye targeted Brown in the end zone, but Tyrique Stevenson was able to get in position to break up the pass and the jump ball fell incomplete.

Overall, Brown caught three of his six targets on the evening for 48 yards in a relatively forgettable showing. Certainly not the breakout game many have been waiting for between the duo, but it still goes down as his greatest yardage total as a member of the team so far. 

The Patriots’ inability to establish a presence on the ground may have been their greatest offensive deterrent on Thursday night, but it didn’t stop Rhamondre Stevenson from being one of the team’s biggest impact players.

New England began the game with four consecutive passes, with their first run called on a 3rd-and-6 to Stevenson for a gain of just one yard. Maye was sacked on the ensuring 4th-and-5 conversion attempt from the Bears’ 45-yard-line, suddenly halting the most promising possession of the quarter after 23 yards gained.

The Patriots ran six more offensive plays on two consecutive three-and-outs in the first quarter — four of those plays were runs. They finished the opening period with six rushing attempts for 13 yards gained, with 12 of those yards coming after contact. By the game’s end, they ran the ball just 17 times for 70 yards —including Maye’s four scrambles for 26 yards. New England running backs totaled 13 rushes for 44 yards (3.8 yards per carry) without Maye’s totals factored in.

Still, Stevenson managed to be one of the Patriots’ star performers on the night. He was a major factor as a pass protector with several key blitz pick-ups , registered a team-high 85.0 pass-blocking grade (per PFF), and when called upon as a receiver, he was New England’s most reliable target. Stevenson hauled in each of his five targets on the night and set a career-high mark with 93 receiving yards, including a spectacular career-long 48-yard touchdown reception as time expired in the first half.

On that play, Stevenson caught a short pass while turning upfield and received a critical downfield block by DeMario Douglas, creating a cutback lane towards the middle of the field. He turned on the jets and wouldn’t be denied on his way to the end zone, trimming the Chicago lead to 20-14.

Thursday night’s underwhelming showing by the Patriots’ ground game snapped a streak of three consecutive games with 140-plus yards rushing, and their over-reliance on the passing attack allowed the Bears to play to their strengths defensively.

New England was in dire straights along the interior offensive line entering Thursday night. Exiting the contest, those concerns were validated — if not heightened.

After losing both Alijah Vera-Tucker — who was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury earlier in the day — and Ben Brown (knee) in Week 6, the Patriots started Walter Rouse and Matt Pryor in their places. It quickly became evident why they were at the bottom of New England’s pecking order through this point of the year.

The initial blocking metrics don’t color an awful showing for either substitute guard — Pryor allowed one sack and Rouse allowed one hurry on 53 pass-blocking snaps — but untimely penalties by each were back-breaking on separate drives during the game.

After the Patriots first moved the sticks on their opening drive of the game, a Rouse holding penalty pushed the offense back into a 1st-and-20 situation that would eventually lead to the failed fourth-down conversion attempt on a sack by Kyler Gordon off of a nickel blitz.

Pryor’s infraction was even more consequential. With the ball in possession and facing a 27-21 deficit on the first play of the fourth quarter, New England lined up to attempt a 4th-and-2 conversion from their own 48-yard-line. Before the play could be run, Pryor was flagged for a false start, and the lost yardage forced a punt.

Overall, the Patriots’ offensive line committed five penalties and allowed two sacks in the game. The second sack could have been credited to a variety of different players, as a host of Chicago rushers got loose in the backfield simultaneous to Maye hitting the last step of his dropback and was swallowed up. It officially fell on Moses, who allowed three total pressures on the night.

The Bears expectedly attacked downhill with an aggressive blitz scheme, bringing additional rushers on 47.2% of Maye’s dropbacks in the game (per PFF). Aside from the sacks taken, Maye was outstanding against those blitzes and pressures.

When facing the blitz, Maye completed 11-of-13 passing attempts (84.6%) with 180 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 126.8. When pressured, Maye completed 8-of-9 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 155.8.

Still, that wasn’t enough to push New England over the top on Thursday night. Rouse and Pryor may be serviceable short-term stop-gaps, but given the news of Vera-Tucker’s extended absence, other solutions may need to be explored to shore up the interior of the offensive line.

While it may have been tough sledding for the Patriots’ outside receivers at Soldier Field, New England’s dynamic duo at tight end made a lasting impression.

Hunter Henry continued his recent upward trajectory, leading the team with seven receptions on as many targets and adding 71 yards. On the Patriots’ nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, Henry came through on four separate occasions, including a 14-yard gain to start the drive and two more first-down conversions later on.

His second catch on the possession came on a 3rd-and-7: Chicago overloaded the right side of the offensive line and brought rookie Dillon Thieneman in as a free rusher at Maye in the backfield. Maye sprinted outside of the pocket and held Thieneman at bay with a stiff-arm, then threw back across his body to find Henry over the middle of the field for a gain of 13.

Henry’s next conversion came with New England backed-up on 2nd-and-12; Maye layered the ball in to the big-bodied target on a deep dig for another 13 yards, taking the deeper option on the “drive” concept in the hole of a Cover 3 zone.

Rookie Eli Raridon capped-off that drive with a 30-yard touchdown reception, beating linebacker Devin Bush on a fade route over-the-top. It was Raridon’s second career touchdown reception, and his first since his first career reception: a two-yard score in the season-opener. Raridon finished the night with three receptions on four targets, 56 yards, and a trip to the end zone. 

Each have become dependable receivers and blockers for the Patriots this season, offering offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels the flexibility to run a much higher percentage of 12 personnel sets and the ability to flex either out along the boundary — just as Henry was on Raridon’s score.

On the opposing side of a highly-anticipated duel of former top-three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams lived up to his status as a number-one overall selection.

Williams completed 22-of-32 passes with 308 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating of 116.7, and an EPA/play of +0.37 on the night, serving as the conductor of an offensive attack that registered several key conversions and controlled the flow of the game throughout.

When New England had hopes of asserting themselves on the scoreboard, it was Williams who answered the call. He engineered separate scoring drives of five plays, 74 yards; 10 plays, 80 yards; 9 plays, 72 yards; and 12 plays, 51 yards. The Bears once again dominated time of possession (33:24) thanks in large part to his command at the line of scrimmage and poise when under pressure.

Williams rarely put the ball in harms’ way, and took the opportunities the Patriots were allowing on a regular basis by reading-and-reacting to coverages efficiently.

Much like Chicago, the Patriots’ defense sent additional rushers at a high rate — 56.4% of his dropbacks (per PFF) — and much like Maye, he delivered. Williams completed 13-of-19 passes against the blitz, with 212 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 123.1.

His metrics may not “wow” to the level of Maye’s — an Average Depth of Target of 7.4 yards, 18 yards rushing, and a 4-of-12 showing on third down — but he avoided the mistakes that swung this game’s result. When needed, Williams converted each of the Bears’ two fourth down attempts, went 3-of-4 in the red zone, scrambled for a first down to extend Chicago’s opening touchdown drive of the second half, and found valuable connections with several pass-catching targets throughout the night.

Both quarterbacks showed why they were highly touted prospects, and Williams got the better of Maye in this one.

Williams’ effectiveness in the passing game began with a stable rushing attack led by D’Andre Swift.

Entering Thursday night, the Bears led the NFL in rushing attempts per game (36.0) and rushing yards per game (160.7), and while their 30 carries for 116 yards as a team didn’t come close to their per-game averages, they worked well to keep New England’s defense off-kilter throughout.

Swift’s 22 carries, 78 rushing yards, and one touchdown were all team-high marks. His longest rush on the night — 10 yards — actually fell short of Stevenson’s longest (13), but his consistent churning of 4-yard chunks helped keep Chicago on-schedule, and keep Ben Johnson’s available playsheet wide open.

Those wrinkles in Johnson’s gameplan came through the running game, and even featured a hand-off to former Patriots’ guard and perennial All-Pro Joe Thuney (called a penalty, but was notable regardless) and another to wide receiver Luther Burden. 

The bulk of the Bears’ ground attack, as per usual, came on outside zone runs — an area of expertise for Chicago as the NFL leaders in such playcalls, entering Thursday with 49.0% of their total rushing attempts coming on outside zone schemes (per SūmerSports). Against New England, the Bears ran 43.3% of their total attempts on outside zone and called runs on 45.5% of their total offensive plays.

With the running game a solid foundation for the offense on Thursday night, Williams ran 46.2% of his total passing attempts off of play-action, completing 10-of-15 attempts with 163 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 125.1 on such plays.

Also aiding in the Chicago’s cause was a lackadaisical tackling effort from the Patriots by-and-large. Their 16 missed tackles set a new season-high mark, far surpassing the eight missed tackles they had in their Week 6 victory.

As the game wore on, so did the Bears’ use of the run game and play action — to the tune of 12:21 in time of possession in the fourth quarter alone. New England couldn’t stop the run early, and Chicago stuck with it late. It paid dividends for them as the Patriots attempted to come back in the waning moments of the loss.

When Williams did drop back to pass, he had a variety of receiving threats to pick from, and made effective use of several of them at different points in the contest.

In the first half, it was Luther Burden III that gashed the New England defense each time he touched the football. The second-year pro led Chicago with 31 catches on 43 targets, 361 yards, and one touchdown prior to Week 7, and added another four catches, 130 yards, and one touchdown to his totals against the Patriots — all in the first half.

Burden beat Marcus Jones in man coverage for 26 yards on the Bears’ first offensive play of the night, then came back with another explosive 58-yard gain on a dig route against Cover 2 on Chicago’s second touchdown drive. His third catch — a 22-yard reception — had another 15 yards tacked onto the end with an egregious roughing the passer penalty against Gabe Jacas. His final reception came on a screen pass, and he took it 24-yards to the house with 14 seconds remaining in the first half.

After the break, it was Colston Loveland that did most of the damage for the Bears up until Chicago’s final scoring drive. The tight end registered seven receptions, 69 yards, and scored his second touchdown of the season in as many weeks on a play-action boot from Williams, who rolled to his left and threw back across his body to make the connection. Jones missed the tackle on Loveland as he stopped on a dime and waltzed into the end zone from 12-yards out.

On the Bears’ final scoring drive, Rome Odunze took center stage with two separate 21-yard receptions that flipped field position from the Chicago 10-yard-line out to midfield. The first reception traveled just over the outstretched arm of Kevin Byard III in underneath zone coverage, the next on an out route with Christian Gonzalez in zone coverage over-the-top. In total, Odunze racked up four receptions and 69 yards in the game, including two catches against Gonzalez on as many targets for 42 yards — both in the fourth quarter.

In an otherwise difficult showing for the New England defense, Christian Elliss had a career night.

Elliss tied a career-best mark with 13 tackles on the evening, including four stops, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and three total pressures.

The first quarterback hit Elliss registered came on a 2nd-and-8 with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter and the Patriots down, 27-21. The hit forced Williams to throw low at the feet of Kalif Raymond, and was followed up by a Milton Williams tipped pass on 3rd-and-8 to force the Bears’ lone three-and-out of the second half.

His most notable pressure came later: on a 3rd-and-11 on Chicago’s first drive of the fourth quarter, forcing Williams to roll right and heave a pass towards the sideline and incomplete. The ensuing snap was a 53-yard doink off of the right upright by Cairo Santos, rendering a 12-play, 51-yard drive pointless for the home team and providing the Patriots’ offense with one more legitimate chance to overtake Chicago, facing a 27-21 deficit with 7:57 remaining.

The offense went three-and-out, with Maye’s second sack of the night losing 10 yards and hindering any potential forward progress.

Per PFF, Elliss was New England’s highest-graded defender overall with a defensive grade of 75.9 and a team-high run defense grade of 87.4. His weekly contributions at the second level may often get overlooked, but there was no getting around the impact Elliss had on Thursday night.

The Patriots’ lengthy list of injuries entering a short week was a sticking point entering game day, but it was a relatively uneventful day on the injury front during the game — and thankfully so.

With Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker both landing on injured reserve this week, New England is now up to 21 players placed on IR through the first seven weeks of the season after having just 16 players land on the list in all of 2025.

Against the Bears, two players exited: Kevin Byard III and Christian Barmore.

Byard appeared to injure his shoulder in the second quarter and previously carried a questionable designation entering the game, but he rejoined the lineup on the Patriots’ next defensive possession. Barmore was hurt on a 10-yard sack in the fourth quarter that pushed Chicago back to the edge of field goal range. Santos made up for his past transgression by sneaking his second attempt just over the crossbar to give the Bears a 30-21 lead with 1:34 remaining.

It is unclear how Barmore’s injury will impact him moving forward, but it will be something to closely monitor. Even on a more limited snap-count this season, he’s been a bright spot for the New England defense as a consistently high-producing contributor along the interior of the defensive line.

One of the most highly anticipated primetime showdowns through this point of the 2026 regular season, Thursday night’s matchup in Chicago did not disappoint. With almost 800 yards of total offense and 54 points scored between the two teams, each team delivered. For the Patriots, the story of this game became their few costly mistakes, and the missed opportunities that could have flipped the script at several points throughout the contest. New England will now return to the drawing board with 10 days rest to prepare for another AFC East tilt at the Miami Dolphins on November 1.

What were your takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to the Bears on Thursday night? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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