One of the most anticipated Thursday Night Football games in recent memory took place at Soldier Field as the Chicago Bears were set to welcome the New England Patriots to town in a battle of playoff-hopeful teams across conferences. The hype (and ticket prices) were sky-high for this matchup, and it didn't disappoint in the slightest.
The Bears managed to keep the Patriots just far enough out of reach for the majority of the game to win 30-24 and improve to 5-2 on the year thanks to the magnificent play of quarterback Caleb Williams and a clutch field goal from Cairo Santos. It was one Bears fans had to sweat out, but it looked for a moment that this game might not be so competitive after all.
Early on, the Bears took a 10-0 lead as the offense
managed to string together chunk plays, while the defense seemed to know what the Patriots were running before they did. The tide began to turn, however. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye found his groove and led two scoring drives in the first half, the latter of which was an unmitigated disaster with multiple defenders missing running back Rhamondre Stevenson at the end of the second quarter to make it a 20-14 game.
Fortunately, this Bears team wasn't about to collapse. The offense shouldered the load and managed to keep the Patriots no closer than six points all game long, and just when it seemed like the door was open for them to storm in and take the lead, Santos delivered a game-deciding 58-yard field goal to preserve the lead at the end of the fourth quarter.
1. Caleb Williams is playing MVP-caliber football
As Williams took a seat at the NFL on Prime panel desk on the sidelines of Soldier Field, MVP chants started raining down from the vocal stands still left in attendance. And they weren't for Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong, who happened to be in attendance to support his quarterback friend. These chants were reserved for Williams, and they are well deserved.
Williams only came back to action less than a week ago and has completed 52 of 69 passes for 613 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions through two games. Not bad after being out of commission for three weeks. The Bears quarterback is playing at an MVP-type level right now, and the stats don't even do it justice.
When the Bears had their backs against the walls on Thursday, Williams delivered multiple times with precision and force. Whether it was setting his feet to hit his tight end in the first half on an intermediate play to move the chains, evading a sack to find Rome Odunze for a first down, or his absolutely filthy laser on third and nine to Odunze that will be a highlight all year long. Williams consistently put the ball on the money and didn't relent, even when mistakes were being made elsewhere.
You can search the advanced stats, look at the wins, and all of that. They will all support Williams' ascension as an MVP-caliber quarterback in this league. But sometimes, the eye test is the simplest one to rely on. A quarterback either has it, or he doesn't. Williams has it and then some, which should put the rest of the league on notice from here on out.
2. This was a game of redemption
Initially, I wasn't sure whether to highlight Odunze or Santos for this category, and then I remembered Colston Loveland's notable drops as well and was all over the place. Then I saw Chat Sports' Harrison Graham use a simple yet effective word: Redemption. This was a redeeming game for quite a few notable players after early gaffes, and the Bears don't win this one without them.
Starting with Cairo Santos, his 53-yard field goal that doinked the upright could have been a game killer. And former Bears coaches wouldn't have dared to go back to him on a kick five yards longer for a career high. But Johnson believed in a second chance, and Santos delivered. Then Odunze not only drops a touchdown but also commits offensive pass interference in the first half. He responds with two massive third-down conversions. And Loveland's two drops did not shake Williams' confidence in him. Loveland delivered a touchdown and a crucial fourth-down conversion late in the game.
Football is 60 minutes long, and you can't hang your head after an error. If there is still time to make up for it, this team is going to find a way to do so. It's the mark of a great coaching staff and belief from the players in one another.
3. Jaylon Johnson continues to be a liability
Many of the Bears found redemption on Thursday, but Jaylon Johnson wasn't one of them. A slow start has now ballooned into a bad year, and it seems Johnson can't do anything correctly on the field. His pass defense was once again questionable as numerous big plays were executed with him in coverage. And a key pass interference penalty nearly brought the Patriots back within striking distance late in the game.
The biggest issue, however, was his horrendous effort to bring down Stevenson at the end of the first half. The play call by Dennis Allen to send multiple blitzers was one thing, but attempting to bring him down well before the end zone with alligator arms only to have Stevenson run through the tackle and into the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown was inexcusable. Especially for someone like Johnson.
After his role in the Green Bay Packers game and shaky play against the Carolina Panthers, it's clear this is more than just a few bad weeks. This is a player who is crashing and burning. The former Pro Bowl talent is a shell of himself and has been a net negative all year long. The Bears can't have that type of liability on the field, and it's time to bench him in favor of someone else who gives a damn.
4. Luther Burden is the ignition the Bears offense needs
Has Luther Burden ever caught a pass and not made the first defender miss in the open field? That's just what this young man brings to the table, and he showed everyone that on Thursday night. Burden took over the first half with four receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown, getting it down on deeper patterns, as well as perfectly executed screen plays.
No matter when Burden touches the ball, you can guarantee a defender is going to miss and look silly. His change of direction and shiftiness are special and not something many players in this league have. People are clamoring for him to get more touches, and I agree, but the formula is also working. He's the spark for the offense and helps ignite those around him. You saw Colston Loveland and Rome Odunze come up big later on in the game after Burden got things going. That trio of young playmakers as a whole is starting to emerge, and it's in part because Burden gets things going early on.
5. The end-of-half touchdown would have broken prior Bears teams
We have already discussed the individual performance regarding this play with Johnson, but let's look at it from a team perspective. The Patriots had three seconds left at midfield with not enough time to get into field goal range. The half was effectively over. And New England manages to score a 48-yard touchdown with Rhamondre Stevenson, a running back who has average speed at best. Numerous Bears missed tackles, and all of the good vibes from a dominant first half were gone. This has and would have broken previous Bears teams, but not this one.
Two years ago, Arizona Cardinals running back Emeri Demercado scored a 53-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half when it seemed they were simply trying to run out the clock and go to halftime. A 14-9 game turned into 21-9, and the Bears fell apart at the seams, losing 29-9 and officially beginning their free fall in the season from hell.
This time, Johnson didn't linger on the play and had his team refocused coming out of halftime to extend the lead with a touchdown drive. It's another example of what Johnson means for this team and the inspiration he instills in his players. No matter how close the Bears get to their old ways, he doesn't let it break them.
6. Losing Cole Kmet will leave a void on the team
The worst part of Thursday's game was easily the injury to tight end Cole Kmet. As of this writing, it is believed that Kmet suffered a season-ending knee injury, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Nothing official has been released, though. Losing Kmet will leave a void not only in the offense but also on the team as a whole.
The Bears love to run 12 and 13 personnel, and Kmet is a main reason why. He does his job so well, whether he's being asked to stay in and block, work as a fullback, or run flat routes to pick up key yardage. Kmet does it all, and it allows the offense to be extremely versatile and unpredictable. Without him, the Bears may not be able to rely as much on their tight ends considering Sam Roush has had more than a few rookie gaffes.
But the other side of the coin is losing Kmet's leadership. The longest-tenured Bear may not be a permanent captain, but he's someone the players look up to. His preparation day in and day out, even in Year 7, has been talked about amongst his teammates, and he has always been the consummate professional through three coaching staffs and two general managers. His presence on the field will be missed in so many ways.
7. This is a future Super Bowl matchup
It's not hyperbole to say these two teams can and probably will meet up in the Super Bowl at some point in the future. That's what this game felt like it was leading towards. Both teams doing their best to counteract one another, each landing blow after blow, all while being led by two of the best young quarterbacks in the league.
If Williams and Maye were in the same conference, we may be talking about these duels like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, or Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Settling for a Super Bowl rematch isn't so bad, though. In all seriousness, this feels inevitable at some point. Maybe not this season or even next season, but down the line, we're going to get a Bears-Patriots Super Bowl matchup, and it will be one of the most highly anticipated games in NFL history.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 7 takeaways from the Bears' statement win over the Patriots
