The Chicago Bears look to halt their two-game losing streak when they host the New England Patriots on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Bears have won nine straight home games dating to last season, eight at Soldier Field plus the designated “home” game in London.
As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the Week 10 game.
Players in the spotlight
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye
For the second time in three weeks, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will face off with a fellow member of his rookie class.
The Patriots selected quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 in this year’s draft, behind Williams and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, whom the Bears played in Week 8. Williams has known Maye for a while and was complimentary of the player who has completed 65.6% of his passes for 770 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.
“He’s explosive,” Williams said. “He’s accurate. He’s a tall, strong figure back there in the pocket. He makes plays for his team.”
The Patriots have gone 1-3 in Maye’s four starts, the only win coming when Maye was knocked out of the Week 8 game against the New York Jets with a concussion and Jacoby Brissett replaced him.
Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said the Bears have to be conscious of Maye’s running ability. He had 95 rushing yards in Week 9 and has 209 this season.
“He’s not looking to slide,” Washington said. “Once he decided that he couldn’t go to his go-to target, was covered or wasn’t available, then he turned into a running back. And he’s got tremendous size and speed. He’s decisive. That’s just tough. So we’ve got to make sure we keep him in the pocket.”
Meanwhile, Williams looks to get back on track after inaccuracy has plagued his last two games. He completed 49% of his passes for 348 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and nine sacks in back-to-back losses. Williams said he needs to be better at getting on the same page as his receivers in terms of how they are going to attack defenses.
“It’s frustrating because I’ve worked over the years — when I wanted to become a quarterback — on accuracy being the most important thing,” Williams said. “And I still pride myself on that. So not being accurate, not being on time with things is frustrating because it’s kind of been my thing, something I’ve been at least pretty solid at. … We’re going to get there, I’m going to get there. It starts with me and then it boils down from there.”
Pressing question
Will the Bears defense bounce back from its worst effort of the season despite losing Andrew Billings?
The Bears put defensive tackle Andrew Billings on injured reserve this week after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery.
Washington called the loss of the 6-foot-1, 311-pound Billings “huge.” It comes at a time when the Bears are trying to pick up the pieces from the loss to the Arizona Cardinals when they allowed a season high of 29 points and 213 rushing yards.
“Andrew, just a big, physical guy,” Washington said. “He’s elevated his game this year in terms of being able to affect the quarterback. He can play from his position to the sidelines, so there’s no replacing Andrew. And besides that, his leadership, the example he sets every single day in the meeting rooms and on the practice field. … You don’t replace a person like that, a pro like that. But I have tremendous confidence in the players that will step into that position and give us a chance to go out and do the things that we need to do.”
Second-year defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, Byron Cowart and Chris Williams all could help fill the void against a poorly ranked Patriots offense led by Maye and running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Pickens has missed six games with a groin injury. He said he tried to return too early in Week 2 and tore it. But he feels like he is finally back to himself after logging 22 snaps last week. And he’ll try to use all that Billings taught him if the Bears need him to step into a bigger role this week.
“Everything when it comes to technique, hand placement, disruption,” Pickens said. “He did a lot for us. It’s a big role taking his steps. Still love him, still care about him.”
Keep an eye on …
Bears tight end Cole Kmet
Kmet wasn’t targeted in the loss to the Cardinals despite playing 85% of the offensive snaps. He had just one 14-yard catch on one target in the loss to the Commanders. Those are eye-opening numbers for a player who has been a consistently reliable pass catcher for the Bears for a few seasons.
Kmet said he is trying to remember to stay focused rather than get caught up in not being targeted as many times as he would like.
“I know there’s a lot that goes into it,” Kmet said. “Just being ready for it. If it’s not getting a target for a while, it’s always important to keep your head in the game. The moment you get frustrated with things, the ball does come your way and bad things happen if you take your head out of it. So it’s important to stay locked in.
It’s not the first time this season the Bears struggled to find Kmet. He had one catch in the season opener and four for 27 yards in Week 2 before he and Williams found a better groove over the next four games.
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said Kmet’s lack of targets hasn’t been by intent but by the ways plays have worked out.
“I love Cole,” Waldron said. “I love his attitude, the way he comes to work every single day. It’s our job as coaches for all those guys to keep trying to work and to figure out ways to put them in the best position to find touches, to get more involved in the game as these weeks progress.”
Sack party
Behind a banged-up offensive line against the Cardinals, Williams took six sacks, his second-highest total of the season. And now the Bears enter the game against the Patriots without their two starting offensive tackles — Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright — who both are dealing with knee injuries.
Waldron called the sack numbers the “ultimate team stat” and one the Bears have become very conscious of.
“Each one of these plays, there are times when it’s on the quarterback getting the ball out,” Waldron said. “There are times where, if he does get flushed, go ahead and a throwaway is OK. And there are other times where a defensive scheme might hit home quicker than anticipated and you have to be able to play the next down.
“Overall as an offense, the high number of sacks is something that we’ve really started to hone in on and we’ve talked about, obviously, every week. But as they accumulate, that’s a big goal of ours to reduce that number.”
Waldron has focused on the Bears cutting down on negative plays — including those sacks — as something that could help boost the offense and in theory boost a run game that managed just 69 yards in Week 9.
“When we’re going and playing at a higher level, we know we’re getting more runs called because we’re not having as many negative plays,” Waldron said. “We’re staying efficient with that balance, the marriage of the run and the pass. And then the completion-play mindsets come to life and you’re in second-and-shorters … third-and-shorters and able to execute at a higher level.”
As for the Bears run game, the Patriots could present another good opportunity to get it going. They allow 136.9 rushing yards per game, ranked 26th in the NFL.
Injury report
After a season-worst effort defending the run and the end of the team’s streak of holding opponents to 21 points or fewer, the defense is getting two injured players back.
Defensive end Montez Sweat, who missed the loss at Arizona with a shin injury, was removed from the injury report Friday. Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, who suffered a hamstring injury in the London game on Oct. 13, does not have a designation either, meaning he’s good to go against the Patriots after missing two games.
Sweat’s presence will be big as the Bears attempt to pin Maye, who rushed for 95 yards last week in an overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans, in the pocket.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep him in the pocket,” Washington said. “We were able to do that last week against another quarterback (Kyler Murray) that has tremendous speed. I don’t think he got out. The challenge is the same this week.”
The Cardinals rushed for 213 yards, and the Bears had issues at all three levels of the defense. Getting Sweat, a two-way end, will only help after Arizona’s 29-9 win snapped a string of 13 straight games (dating to last season) in which the opponent scored 21 or fewer.
Defensive end Darrell Taylor (knee) and linebacker Noah Sewell (knee) are questionable.
For the Patriots, safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) and linebacker Christian Elliss (abdomen) are out. Cornerback Alex Austin, defensive tackles Daniel Ekuale and Jaquelin Roy, guards Michael Jordan and Layden Robinson, offensive tackle Vederian Lowe and safety Marte Mapu are questionable.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (5-3)
The Bears spent another week circling the wagons, and it should be easier to bounce back from the shellacking in Arizona than it was the final-play defeat at Washington. In a grueling second half of the schedule, this is a must-win game against a struggling Patriots team that also starts a rookie quarterback. The Bears must get back to the formula of leaning on their defense and special teams and find more explosive plays on offense, even though they will be short-handed on the offensive line again. Whatever small room they had for error has been squandered, so it’s time to win.
Bears 20, Patriots 17
Colleen Kane (5-3)
The loss to the Cardinals in Week 9 was ugly, the kind of showing that brings up serious questions about the direction of the Bears. But in their last game before their NFC North slate begins, the Bears have a good chance to shake off some of the issues that have plagued them in back-to-back losses. Matt Eberflus, Caleb Williams and Co. have been good at home, and that should continue against rookie quarterback Drake Maye and a Patriots team that has struggled even more than the Bears. The defense should bounce back for real this time and fuel a victory.
Bears 24, Patriots 17
Dan Wiederer (5-3)
A return to Soldier Field should be helpful. The returns of Montez Sweat and Kyler Gordon should enliven the defense. A return to the win column? That’s a non-negotiable for the Bears at this critical juncture of the season. And the matchups are favorable in every direction. Even without Andrew Billings, the Bears defense should be able to set the terms Sunday in flustering the league’s least productive offense and rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Offensively, meanwhile, the door is open for a big day from D’Andre Swift with a well-balanced attack needed. Catch your breath, Bears fans.
Bears 24, Patriots 16
