The Chicago Bears are sitting at a solid 4-2 on the season after a 31-23 win that saw Caleb Williams back under center. That’s a good rebound after a pretty dispiriting loss to their division rival Green Bay Packers the week before, where the offense totally fell apart with Tyson Bagent in at quarterback. Now, Chicago hosts the New England Patriots on “Thursday Night Football,” and they’re looking to keep that winning momentum rolling. But the Pats are on a serious hot streak themselves, having won three straight after starting 1-2, largely thanks to quarterback Drake Maye suddenly finding his groove.
Drake Maye’s Wild Three-Week Turnaround
Seriously, what happened to Drake Maye? This dude looked almost broken through the first three games, right? He was completing just 51 of 80 passes for 585 yards, one touchdown, and six brutal interceptions. But something clicked. Over the last three weeks, Maye has been on fire, hitting 66 of 103 passes for 878 yards, dropping 10 touchdowns, and only throwing one pick. That’s a massive turnaround. He’s rediscovered the deep ball too, going 12 of 20 for 350 yards and four scores on throws beyond 15 yards in these recent games. Before that, he was only 9 of 20 for 281 yards and four interceptions on those same throws. The numbers don’t lie, he’s a completely different guy.
Last week against the Jets, Maye still had a strong game despite A.J. Brown looking absolutely horrifying in his return from an ankle injury. Brown dropped at least three passes and turned 10 targets into only 27 yards. Maye also lost Romeo Doubs to a shoulder injury early on a touchdown pass, so he was playing with a super limited receiving corps. Yet, he still threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns without turning the ball over. That’s clutch.
Chicago’s Defense Faces A Real Test
So, Chicago’s got its work cut out for them trying to stop this new, improved Drake Maye. While Brown will probably be better this week, and the Bears haven’t been great against outside receivers, they do have Kyler Gordon back. His return could make things tougher for slot guy Demario Douglas, who’s been having a good run. And with Doubs out, Kyle Williams could step up, although Efton Chism has been getting more snaps because the Patriots trust him more as a blocker. It’s an interesting challenge for the Bears’ defense, which, surprisingly, checks in at eighth in opponents’ EPA per dropback this season.
This Thursday night game is going down at Soldier Field in Chicago at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Bears are favored by 3 points with an over/under of 50.5. Will the Bears get another win and prove their defense is legit, or will Maye and the Patriots keep that three-game winning streak alive? We’re about to find out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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