Drake Maye and Caleb Williams more than lived up to the hype, but Thursday night’s showdown went to Williams and the Chicago Bears, 30-24.
Maye was excellent and ready for the bright lights at Soldier Field. His one mistake — another brutal red zone interception in the second quarter — led to a missed opportunity for the New England Patriots, who dropped to 4-3.
Williams made some big, drive-extending throws in the fourth quarter and avoided the kind of catastrophic turnover that has now turned up in every one of Maye and the Patriots’ three losses.
The Patriots will have some work to do entering a mini bye week. Here were our top culprits, and a couple who shined for New England in defeat.
The Patriots had plenty of chances to win, but mistakes on both sides of the ball proved costly
Loser: Drake Maye
As far as losing efforts, this was one of the best games of Maye’s career. He battled all night against defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s deceptive blitz packages with two backup guards in the lineup. He passed for over 300 yards, completed 77% of his passes and accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
But the local talking point all week will be the throw that resulted in his seventh interception in as many games this season.
The Patriots were trailing 13-7 at the time. There was 3:32 left in the second quarter. It was first-and-10 at the Bears 15. Maye can’t put the ball in harm’s way in that situation, and the Patriots ended up chasing those lost points all night.
Loser: Zak Kuhr
The matchup between Kuhr, the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, and one of the NFL’s best offensive play callers in Ben Johnson was a fascinating one coming in, but Williams and the Bears were not fooled by New England’s game plan.
Williams had eight completions of 20-plus yards, routinely beating the Patriots’ blitzes with big throws down the field. The Bears often got the ball to their playmakers in space whenever the Patriots played zone.
Missed tackles were a huge problem for New England. Pro Football Focus charted the Patriots with 16 missed tackles in the game.
Williams passed for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Chicago also rushed for 116 yards as a team and scored 30 points. This was a tough one for Kuhr, head coach Mike Vrabel, and the Patriots’ defense.
Winner: Gabe Jacas
Jacas committed a bad roughing-the-passer penalty in the first half, one so blatantly late that 99% of rookies would have been yanked off the field and sat down on the bench.
Not Jacas. He’s becoming a problem for opposing quarterbacks whenever he’s on the field.
PFF charted Jacas with five QB pressures, three hurries, and two QB hits. The second-round rookie has quietly been among the Patriots’ most impactful players over the last month. The arrow is pointing way up.
Loser: A.J. Brown (and the entire wide receiver group)
In fairness to A.J. Brown, he’s clearly not 100 percent on that sprained ankle. He’s yet to score a touchdown or make a 20-yard catch in three games.
The entire wide receiver group was a letdown, though. Brown was the most productive with three catches for 48 yards, with a good chunk of that coming late with the game out of reach in the final minute. DeMario Douglas, Efton Chism, and Kyle Williams all combined for less than 40 receiving yards in this game.
Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, Maye was 17-for-18 for 234 yards and two touchdowns when targeting tight ends or running backs. He was 7-for-12 for 87 scoreless yards when targeting his wide receivers.
Loser: Marcus Jones
We mentioned missed tackles as a problem for the Patriots’ defense against Chicago. Per PFF, Jones led the way with five.
Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal traced two Chicago touchdowns back to Jones, with the most glaring coming on the Colston Loveland touchdown in the first half. He’s an important piece for Vrabel’s defense, but his play has been inconsistent to start the season.
Jones also had a tough time defending against the Las Vegas Raiders and tight end Brock Bowers in Week 5.
Winner: Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson might be the most underappreciated running back in the NFL. He was immense in this game as a pass blocker with the Bears blitzing often. He led all Patriots pass catchers with five catches for 93 yards. And his touchdown catch and run at the end of the first half?
Unbelievable.
RHAMONDRE STEVENSON‼️
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 23, 2026
📺 Prime Video pic.twitter.com/heXDiTFnzW
Stevenson's angles and feel for space are elite, and he’s been doing it all season. His 48-yard catch and run with time expiring in the first half gave the Patriots a lifeline at the half.
The more Stevenson touches the ball, the better for Josh McDaniels and the Patriots’ offense.
Loser: Robert Spillane
Spillane was PFF’s lowest-graded Patriots defender, charging him with two missed tackles and 48 receiving yards allowed in coverage.
The veteran only had five total tackles in this game (one solo). Sidekick Christian Elliss was all over the field with eight solo tackles and 13 total.
The Patriots’ run defense has been leaky in back-to-back games, and they’re going to need Spillane to step up in that department. He only had two run stuffs against the Bears on Thursday, per PFF.
Add us as a preferred source on Google