Caleb Williams returned from his hamstring injury and delivered the throws Chicago needed to escape with a six-point home win over New England on Thursday night, while Cairo Santos drilled a career-best 58-yard field goal to finish the decisive sequence at Soldier Field.
Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears won for a second consecutive game with their starting quarterback back in the lineup. In the matchup of the top two quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 draft — No. 1 overall choice Williams and No. 3 pick Drake Maye — Chicago’s passer made the defining late play.
Protecting a six-point advantage with fewer than five minutes remaining, Williams faced third-and-9 from his own 10-yard line and fired a deep completion to Rome Odunze over former teammate Kevin Byard. The conversion helped Chicago run clock, though Williams later took a third-down sack that gave New England a final opening.
Santos missed from 53 yards on Chicago’s prior possession, but he responded by making the 58-yarder. The kick matched the longest field goal by a Bears player at Soldier Field, tying Robbie Gould, and it is tied for third-longest in the stadium’s history. The attempt carried a 27.6 percent conversion probability before Santos sent it through.
- Caleb Williams: Returned after missing time with a hamstring injury; completed 19 of 22 throws for 264 yards, both touchdowns and a 147.0 passer rating when not pressured.
- A.J. Brown: One week removed from an ankle injury; caught three passes for 48 yards on six targets after dropping three passes in his return game.
- Kyle Monangai: Missed his third straight game for Chicago.
Maye still put up major production in defeat, throwing for 321 yards and two scores while adding a rushing touchdown. He entered the game having thrown 10 touchdown passes across the previous three games, with at least three in each outing, but his first interception since the second quarter of Week 4 became a key turning point.
With the Patriots behind 13-7 in the first quarter, Maye tried to take the lead but was intercepted in the end zone by D’Marco Jackson. Chicago then traveled 80 yards and extended the margin on Luther Burden III’s 24-yard catch-and-run on a quick screen.
New England answered before halftime when Maye connected with Brown for an 18-yard gain and then found Rhamondre Stevenson for a 48-yard touchdown as time expired in the second quarter. Maye also created plays on the ground, but the Patriots converted only two of seven third-down opportunities.
The game marked the first prime-time contest since the Rams-Chiefs meeting in Week 11 of 2018 featuring two quarterbacks younger than 25 who each posted at least 300 passing yards and multiple touchdown passes. Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes were the quarterbacks in that earlier game.
Burden supplied Chicago’s early explosiveness, recording four first-half receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. His 26-yard opening-drive catch helped set up a Santos field goal, and a 58-yard reception on the next possession put the Bears in position for D’Andre Swift’s touchdown. Burden added a 22-yard gain before his 24-yard score, producing his third career 100-yard game and finishing eight yards shy of his personal best.
New England held Burden without a second-half catch, but Odunze took over with three receptions for 63 yards after halftime. All three went for 21 yards, including two conversions on third-and-long. Odunze totaled four catches for 69 yards and secured the onside kick after the Patriots narrowed the deficit with 37 seconds left.
Chicago also received seven catches, 69 yards and a touchdown from Colston Loveland. Swift handled 26 touches for 84 yards and a rushing score.
The Patriots’ wide receivers could not generate enough offense. Brown led that position group in targets, while New England wideouts combined for seven catches on 12 targets, 87 yards and no touchdowns. Maye leaned more heavily on running backs and tight ends as Chicago limited the receivers.
New England’s defense also missed 14 tackles, a costly total in a game decided by six points. The shortcomings stood out for a Mike Vrabel team whose defenses have placed an emphasis on tackling.
Chicago’s ground game and offensive line helped close the victory. The Bears entered the game having failed to reach 100 rushing yards in each of their previous two outings, but finished with 116 net yards on the ground despite Monangai’s absence.
The Patriots held the ball for 16:12 in the first half compared with Chicago’s 13:48. It was only the second time this season that the Bears trailed in possession at halftime; the other came in their Week 5 loss to Green Bay. Chicago reversed that edge by controlling the ball for 32:24 overall, including a 12:21-to-2:39 advantage in the fourth quarter.
The Bears remain within reach of the undefeated Vikings atop the NFC North. The victory was also Chicago’s third regular-season win in its last 12 meetings with New England since the Bears beat the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. Chicago honored late former coach Mike Ditka in its first home game since his death.
