The Chicago Bears had some impressive wins coming into Thursday’s matchup against the New England Patriots, but a 30-24 win over the team that just won the AFC last winter would be their new marquee victory.
With the game being on short rest, both teams knew they would go through some ups and downs. However, the Bears found a way to hang on to win. It wasn’t pretty, but they found a way to get the job done.
Head coach Ben Johnson, to his credit, found a way to get the offense to score 30 points in a situation that doesn’t look good for most teams. Out of all the plays that the team made that led them to victory, these five stick out as the "most important."
1. Caleb Williams long completion to Luther Burden
BURDEN BOMB 💣
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 23, 2026
📺: Prime pic.twitter.com/t2C5v9ZbOJ
After going up 3-0, the Bears got the ball
back and needed another big drive. They set themselves up to score again when Caleb Williams hit Luther Burden for a huge gain. This set the tone for a big game for not only these two players individually, but the offense as a whole.
2. D'Andre Swift gives Bears an early two-score lead
@DAndreSwift to the end zone 🤩
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 23, 2026
📺: Prime Video pic.twitter.com/ptdNbkofEF
Playing with some sort of nagging injury, D'Andre Swift was very good on Thursday. This touchdown run gave the Bears a 10-0 lead, and they never looked back from there offensively. Being up by 2 scores gave the Bears some comfort going into the rest of the game.
3. D'Marco Jackson's end zone interception halts a promising drive
@DMarcojackson20 picks it off in the end zone 🙌
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 23, 2026
📺: Prime Video pic.twitter.com/q7i8VOFjbf
If the Patriots were to go up 14-13, things might have dramatically changed. However, D'Marco Jackson made an interception in the end zone to stop New England right in their tracks. They've needed different people to step up on defense, especially in the backfield, and that's what happened here.
4. Colston Loveland's touchdown to open the second half
Colston Loveland's a tough man to bring down 😮💨
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 23, 2026
📺: Prime Video pic.twitter.com/WzJbD7jjTV
After a tough ending to the first half, the Bears needed to come out strong in the third quarter. Colston Loveland, who is starting to get going, made a big reception and capped off the drive with a touchdown. On this play, he showed just how hard he is to bring down when he's trucking hard.
5. Cairo Santos' game-winning 58-yard field goal
Clutch.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 23, 2026
📺: Prime Video pic.twitter.com/kmtR0AQ2Ur
Is it normal to trust your kicker to set a new career-long record 12 years into his NFL career? Is it normal to ask him to do it in a situation that wins you the game? No, it is not. But that is the confidence that Ben Johnson has in his players. Cairo Santos put the Bears up by two scores with his career-long 58-yard field goal, giving the Patriots no chance of winning the game. If he missed, New England would have had a chance to get the ball at midfield to win it. At the end of the game, this became the most important play of them all.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 most important plays from Bears win over Patriots
