The Bears are walking into Thursday night with momentum, but Ben Johnson isn’t talking like a coach who’s ready to let his team coast.
Chicago comes off a 31-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, a result that looked even better because Caleb Williams was back after missing three weeks with an injury. Now the Bears get the New England Patriots in a matchup between 4-2 teams, and Johnson knows the record tells you everything you need to know about the kind of game this can become.
Before the lights come on for "Thursday Night Football," Johnson was asked about Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, and he didn’t flinch with his answer. The Bears coach was full of praise for the young passer.
"Combination of a guy that's an elite deep ball thrower along with he can crush you with his legs," he told the media, per Bears on Real. "That combination is deadly.
You can see that their offense is putting up points in bunches right now, a three-game winning streak and a ton of explosive plays. Josh McDaniels does a great job making sure he puts those guys in the right spots."
That’s not coach-speak. That’s a clear warning.
Johnson’s description says plenty about how Chicago is viewing Maye: dangerous downfield, dangerous when he takes off, and part of an offense that’s finding its rhythm at the right time. New England has scored 29, 45 and 26 points across its last three games, and that run has pushed the Patriots into a three-game winning streak.
Johnson also made sure to give McDaniels his due, pointing to the way the offensive coordinator has put his players in position to succeed. For the Bears, the message is simple: this isn’t a night to relax just because they’re trending in the right direction. With both teams sitting at 4-2, Chicago knows it needs to bring energy and firepower in front of its home crowd.
In Other News...
Drake Maye Faces His Biggest Test Since Heating Up
Drake Maye has turned a corner for New England at just the right time, and Sundays matchup with Chicago gives the Patriots another chance to see how real that growth is. Over the last stretch, Maye has looked far more comfortable attacking downfield, and that development matters against a Bears defense that has had trouble holding up on deeper throws. On the other side, Caleb Williams has been working through his own learning curve while operating Chicagos offense with a shorter passing profile than the kind that can stress a secondary vertically.
For New England, the test is less about whether Maye can keep making the routine plays and more about whether he can keep forcing defenses out of their comfort zone when the windows get tighter. Chicagos availability on the back end adds another layer to the matchup, and the Patriots will be watching closely to see whether their young quarterback can keep the deep-ball momentum going against a unit that has had to patch together answers in the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Face A Familiar Problem In A Very Winnable Bears Game
The Patriots head into a winnable matchup with Chicago carrying the same kind of offensive uncertainty that has followed them for stretches this season. New Englands line is again under the microscope, with injury questions surfacing at guard and along the right side, and that only adds pressure in a game where protection, rhythm and staying ahead of the chains could matter as much as anything the passing game does.
Chicago brings its own concerns, but the part of the Bears that most fits the Patriots' defensive attention is the ground game. With one key back unavailable, DAndre Swift figures to be a major part of the plan, and New England will have to be ready for a rushing attack that can control tempo if it gets rolling. For a Patriots team trying to turn a favorable spot into an actual result, the line play on both sides could end up deciding whether this one looks manageable or familiar in all the wrong ways. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Maye Is Betting Patriots Fans Will Stay Patient With A.J. Brown
A.J. Browns return from a high ankle sprain did not go the way the Patriots hoped, as the receiver was active again but came away with a quiet afternoon and a few costly miscues. After missing time, Brown was back in the lineup and immediately became a focal point in the offense, which only sharpened the attention on how he looked and how quickly he could shake off the rust.
Drake Maye is not sounding alarmed, though, and the quarterbacks confidence in Brown adds an important layer as New England turns its focus to the Bears. For the Patriots, the bigger question is whether Browns timing and comfort can sharpen quickly enough to make his return feel more like a turning point than a temporary detour. [Read more 🡒]