Led by second-year head coaches and first-round quarterbacks drafted in 2024, and owning identical 4-2 records, the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears are quite similar to one another. On Thursday night, they will share the field for a prime time matchup — the second between the two clubs in the last three years.
To find out more about the Patriots’ opponent, we spoke with Bill Zimmerman of Pats Pulpit’s sister site Windy City Gridiron, the SB Nation community for all things Bears.
1. I know it’s
a small sample size, but how has Caleb Williams looked in his second season under Ben Johnson? What changed in his return to the field from when Tyler Bagent was under center?
Without trying to sound too much like a raging homer, Caleb has looked fantastic in year two. If you don’t consider the week two loss to the Vikings, where Caleb got hurt due to significantly wet and sloppy conditions (it didn’t just rain; it was a monsoon), the offense has looked like arguably the best in the league. Mind you, that’s only two games, so it’s not enough to go on, but it’s been that good in the small sample size.
With Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent, the Bears averaged 19 points per game. With Caleb Williams, they’ve averaged 45 PPG in his two full games. Williams is getting to the point where he can stay in the pocket, operate the Ben Johnson system quickly and efficiently, and keep the chains moving. But Caleb also has the ability to break out of the system and ad-lib on his own, where he gets really dangerous and makes many of the huge off-script plays that make all the highlight reels.
Bagent doesn’t have the ability to operate off-script, and he also doesn’t have a strong arm. Bagent needs to operate quickly, and if he doesn’t get the ball out on time, he can’t make up for it either with his arm and ability to operate if the play breaks down. Caleb is the exact opposite. He can be late on a read but make up for it with insane release and arm strength.
With Caleb back and (mostly) healthy, it’s a dangerous two-headed weapon. First, it’s Ben Johnson’s offense and play calling, which everyone in the league knows is elite. But if the play Johnson calls doesn’t have it, the defense still has to deal with what Caleb Williams can do when the play breaks down.
The Bears offense has a chance to really hit some great heights this year with the synergy that Ben and Caleb are developing.
2. How will not having Kyle Monangai affect the Bears’ offense? Who would be the next men up?
Monangai missing is definitely a knock to the offense. He and D’Andre Swift make a great combination, and they complement each other well.
Roschon Johnson would be the guy to fill in. Johnson doesn’t have the speed or shiftiness of Monangai. There are fans I know that call him SlowJo instead of RoJo. He had just 6 yards on five attempts against Green Bay, and last week he was much better with 51 yards on 13 carries, but that still keeps him below the 4.0 threshold. Johnson is a nice blocker, has pretty good hands, and is a good special teamer. But he’s not a guy you want having 10-plus touches in a game.
3. The Bears have been one of the league’s worst deep pass defenses, but their corners seem to be getting healthy. What’s behind those struggles and how much would having all three starters affect Chicago’s ability to defend deep?
What’s behind the Bears’ lack of success from their secondary? I mean, should I say lack of talent? With Kyler Gordon out, the Bears were mostly running out Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and rookie Malik Muhammad. With Gordon back last week, they have moved Muhammad to play more outside and made them less reliant on the other two.
Reports were really good over the summer that Johnson had recovered from the injuries that plagued him in 2025, and he was back to his old form. That really hasn’t been the case. He’s made occasional plays but has largely looked like a player that may have lost some athleticism and isn’t able to keep up with faster receivers stretching the field.
Stevenson can make plays as well because he’s a pretty aggressive corner. However, Stevenson, between being overly aggressive and lapses in concentration, consistently gets burned on deep balls as well. Having Gordon back gives them a great blitzing weapon and great play at the line of scrimmage, and his presence will limit how much someone like Stevenson has to be on the field. That will help in some regards, but the Bears are going to be susceptible to the deep ball against Drake Maye for sure.
4. What’s makes the Bears such an effective blitzing defense? Has anyone managed to slow them down?
The key to the Bears blitzing is the success they are having with it on third down. The Bears have 17 sacks on the season; nine of them have come on third down. That makes them arguably the best third-down defense in the NFL. Heading into this game, opponents have converted just 26% of their third downs against the Bears, trailing only the Minnesota Vikings.
Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen has been a wizard with this team on third downs, and that’s not just last year; they were good on third downs last year as well, despite being one of the worst overall defenses in the league.
What’s wild about those nine third-down sacks I mentioned earlier, four have come from defensive backs. You can expect Kyler Gordon to blitz frequently, and with the banged-up Patriots offensive line, it wouldn’t shock me if he gets home for another sack on Thursday night.
Even in the Bears’ losses, the third-down conversion rates sit at 7-for-25, so still close to their averages. It sounds dumb, but the best way to beat the Bears’ third-down success? Stay out of third and long. The Bears can be had on first and second down, so gain yards there, avoid third downs all together or at least keep it to third and short where it’s a quick-hitting play and the blitz doesn’t have a chance to get home.
5. Who do you think pulls out a victory on Thursday night, and why?
I do think the Bears are going to win this one. I think they are carrying a lot of momentum and confidence with Caleb Williams back. I think the offense is clicking, and I do think the Patriots’ defense can cause some issues for them, but I do think they can score on them. I expect Drake Maye to beat the Bears with a few pretty deep balls, but I do think they will make some plays on third down and stop enough Patriots drives.
Thursday games are tricky because they always seem like anything can happen with a short week of preparation. These are two good football teams, so we should expect a close game.
Bears 27, Patriots 24.
