The three-game winning streak is GONE, baby. The New England Patriots dropped a tough one to the Chicago Bears, falling 30-24 on Thursday night at Soldier Field. That’s a gut punch, especially after rolling for three straight weeks, and it leaves them heading into the mini bye with a 4-3 record.
Maye Put Up Numbers, But the W Wasn’t There
Look, Drake Maye has been on a tear, snagging AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors earlier this October with 10 passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and just one pick. He brought that fire to Chicago, too, going 24-of-31 for a massive 321 yards through the air, slinging two touchdowns. And he wasn’t done, adding 26 rushing yards and a third touchdown on the ground. This dude is a playmaker, no doubt. The 24-year-old captain was out there trying to make it happen. He even had a 108.1 passer rating by halftime, hitting 12-of-15 for 169 yards and two scores, despite that one turnover. But the first half ended with them down 20-14, and that deficit just swelled.
Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels had some moments, too. After an aggressive fourth-and-5 takedown on the opening drive and a couple of three-and-outs with some run-run-pass sequences, the sticks finally got moving on a 15-yarder to rookie tight end Eli Raridon and a 16-yarder to veteran tight end Hunter Henry. That led to a nine-play, 74-yard drive, capped by Maye’s extension for a touchdown. Later, Maye connected with Raridon again for a 30-yard scoring strike down the seam after a false start. The tight end duo of Raridon and Henry was legit, pulling in 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown combined. But even with Maye dealing, the critical downs were a struggle: 2-of-7 on third down, 0-of-1 on fourth down, and only 1-of-2 in the red zone. That’s where you gotta close it out.
WRs Take a Hit, Defense Can’t Hold
The receiving corps took a hit, with No. 1 wide receiver Romeo Doubs heading to injured reserve right after returning last weekend. He joined Mack Hollins on the IR list, which is just brutal. The remaining wideouts combined for only 87 yards, showing how much they missed that top guy. Maye even threw an interception in the end zone to linebacker D’Marco Jackson on an underthrow to his third-round target from Notre Dame. By the time the fourth quarter hit, Maye was back on the field with no timeouts left and staring at a 30-21 gap after back-to-back punts. It’s tough to win when you’re playing catch-up like that.
Head coach Mike Vrabel’s squad is heading home for a mini bye, licking their wounds after snapping that three-game run. They’re 4-3 now, and they need to figure out how to capitalize on Maye’s big nights to get back in the win column. Every game matters, and they’ll be looking to regroup and come back stronger after this break.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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