The Bears will seek their fourth win in five games and look to improve to 5-2 when they host the Patriots Thursday night at Soldier Field.
It's the first of three straight scheduled primetime games for the Bears, who will visit the Seahawks in Seattle a week from Monday night and then host the Buccaneers Sunday night, Nov. 8. It's also the first of back-to-back contests against last season's Super Bowl participants.
Thursday night's clash will feature quarterbacks selected with the No. 1 and 3 picks in the 2024 draft in the Bears' Caleb Williams and the Patriots' Drake Maye, respectively. Last season, both guided their teams to division titles and No. 2 seeds in the playoffs. Maye led the NFL with a 72.0 completion percentage last year, while Williams currently tops the league with a 72.5 completion percentage.
The Week 7 game will also mark the first meeting between Bears coach Ben Johnson and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel as head coaches or assistants. Remarkably, Vrabel is in his 27th NFL season (14 as a player and 13 as a coach), but this will be his first contest at Soldier Field.
After opening the season 1-2, the Patriots (4-2) have won three straight: 29-26 at Buffalo, and at home over the Raiders 45-17 and the Jets 26-19.
"Really good opponent coming into town," Johnson said. "Lot of respect for what they've put on tape so far. There's a reason why Vrabel has been coach of the year. His team certainly plays that way. It's sound, it's smart, it's a physical operation, and our guys know what we're stepping into on Thursday."
When the Bears have the ball
It will be strength versus strength when a Bears offense that ranks fifth in the NFL in total yards per game (388.3) battles a Patriots defense that ranks sixth (300.8).
Williams will look to build off a stellar performance in last Sunday's 31-23 win over the Falcons in Atlanta, which earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career.
Williams returned with a vengeance after missing three games with a hamstring injury, completing 83.3% of his passes for 305 yards and one touchdown with a 111.2 passer rating. It was the highest completion percentage by a Bears quarterback who attempted at least 30 passes in a game in franchise history.
Against the Falcons, receiver Luther Burden III set season highs with a team-leading eight receptions (on eight targets) for 95 yards and tight end Colston Loveland caught six passes for a season-high 65 yards and his first TD of the year.
The Bears' passing game is complemented by a rushing attack that ranks No. 1 in the NFL, averaging 160.7 yards per game. It's powered by running back D'Andre Swift, who ranks 13th in rushing with 398 yards and six TDs on 94 carries.
While running back Kyle Monangai will miss his third straight game with a toe injury, reserve Roschon Johnson will look to build on last Sunday's outing, when he rushed for 61 yards on 13 carries, career highs in both categories.
The Bears have been able to control the ball and the clock this season, leading the NFL in average time of possession (36:01) and offensive plays per game (73.2). Since time of possession first began being tracked in 1991, no team has possessed the ball for more than an average of 35 minutes in a season.
The Patriots defense is led by outside linebacker Elijah Ponder, who is tied for third in the NFL with 5.5 sacks and has recorded 10 quarterback hits; Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez; and former Bears safety Kevin Byard III.
"It starts with they're a very talented group up front, in the inside in particular," Johnson said. "They are very difficult to move. I think they're built really from the inside [and] on out from there. The linebackers are playing at a really high level. The edge players … when you turn on the tape, they are darn good and they're going to be a big challenge for our tackles in one-on-one situations.
"I love Kevin Byard and what he brings to the table. You can tell he really fits their defense well in terms of the communication and what they're asking him to do. Christian Gonzalez on the outside, just trying to figure out where he'll be and where he'll line up. But all those guys, they're fundamentally sound, they tackle really well, they shed blocks really well and then, schematically, they try to take away what you do best. That's the challenge."
Key matchup: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams vs. Patriots safety Kevin Byard III
After two seasons battling as teammates in practice, Williams and Byard will face each other for the first time as opponents. Williams' 1.1 career interception percentage is the lowest in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 pass attempts, while Byard led the league with seven interceptions last season with the Bears, but is still looking for his first pick this year with New England.
"He's a super savvy vet," Williams said. "I've seen him work. He studies film. He still moves extremely well. He knows the route concepts really well. So, excited to go versus him. It's going to be a great challenge for us, a great challenge for me and the wide receivers to be able to go out there and execute and complete passes and keep being the offense and identity that we want to be."
When the Patriots have the ball
It figures to be an evenly matched clash between two top-10 units that have a lot in common. Both the Bears defense and the Patriots offense are ranked seventh in the NFL in total yards and will be missing two starting linemen Thursday night.
Just like in last Sunday's win over the Falcons, the Bears will play without defensive ends Montez Sweat, who will complete his two-game suspension imposed by the league; and Dayo Odeyingbo, who is on injured reserve with a quadriceps issue.
When the defense was down four starters last Sunday, multiple reserves stepped up. That included end Daniel Hardy, who registered his first NFL sack in his 46th career game. Hardy had never played more than 14 defensive snaps in a game, but was on the field for 34 plays versus Atlanta.
The most impressive defensive performance against the Falcons was delivered by cornerback Kyler Gordon. Making his season debut one day after being activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, he became only the second defensive back in NFL history to record at least 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles in a game.
The Bears defense enters Week 7 ranked second in the league in third-down efficiency, sacks per pass play and first downs allowed per game.
On Thursday night, the unit will be challenged by Maye, who has been red hot of late. After passing for one TD and six interceptions in New England's first three games, he has thrown for 10 TDs and one interception during the Patriots' three-game winning streak. Maye will face the Bears having thrown at least three TD passes in three straight games for the first time in his three-year NFL career.
"It's a dangerous combination of a guy that's an elite deep ball thrower, [and] he can crush you with his legs also," Johnson said. "That combination is deadly, and it's really picked up steam over these last three games. You can see that their offense is putting up points in bunches right now … and a ton of explosive plays throughout. So when you look at it that way ... he's a big challenge. You know [offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels does a great job making sure he puts those guys in the right spots. Even if they're down some O-linemen, he'll do a great job making sure he has that in mind, and he'll showcase what the rest of their guys can do."
The Patriots will indeed play without starting left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and right guard Ben Brown (knee), both of whom were hurt in last Sunday's win over the Jets. They are expected to be replaced by Walter Rouse — a third-year pro who would be making his first NFL start — and Matt Pryor, respectively. Pryor served as the Bears' starting right guard in 2024.
Generating takeaways figures to be key for the Bears; they are 12-0 when forcing at least two in a game in Johnson's two seasons as coach. They have produced 38 takeaways in 15 wins and four takeaways in eight losses. That includes nine takeaways in four victories and none in two losses this year.
Key matchup: Bears safety Dillon Thieneman vs. Patriots receiver A.J. Brown
Thieneman has displayed his speed and playmaking ability in his first NFL season; the first-round pick is the league's only rookie with at least 35 tackles, one interception and one sack. He will patrol a secondary that is entrusted with limiting big plays, especially by a dangerous receiver like Brown. The eight-year veteran will play in his second straight game after missing four contests with an ankle injury he sustained in New England's season opener.
Brown has compiled at least 100 yards in all three of his career games against the Bears, including a personal best 181 yards in Week 15 of the 2022 season when he was with the Eagles in his only previous appearance at Soldier Field.
