Patriots vs Bears live updates, idle, where to watch: Drake Maye and Caleb Williams in 2024 draft class showdown

It was a tough challenge for D’Andre Swift, who appeared to take a helmet to the knee from Christian Elliss. Swift was able to get up and walk to the sideline, although he appeared to move gingerly; there was a visible tear on his left pant leg, where the contact appeared to have occurred.

No flags were thrown. Fortunately, Swift seems to be okay.

The Patriots defense receives an offside call, resulting in a five-yard penalty. And then, immediately, the Bears offensive line is hit with a false start and another five-yard penalty. We are now back where we started, in third and seventh; time is a circle.

The Patriots made it three points on the next drive, after two short rushes from TreVeyon Henderson and an incomplete pass from Drake Maye. New England decides to not go for it on fourth and five this time, and throw a punt instead.

Chicago kicker Cairo Santos makes a 43-yard field goal to open the scoring at Soldier Field on the Bears’ fourth down.

Caleb Williams took a wide-open shot to Kalif Raymond on third down that would have moved the chains, but the pass failed to connect. This looks like a missed opportunity for the Bears, but they are taking the lead for now.

An ill-timed call on the Patriots offensive line forced New England on first-and-20, a steep yardage it was unable to cover on first down. Even an impressive one-handed six-yard catch from TreVeyon Henderson wasn’t enough to make up the difference.

On fourth and five, Mike Vrabel and the Pats chose to go for a bold first move, but couldn’t convert. Drake Maye is sacked and the Bears will receive the ball at their own 44-yard line.

In their first home game since the passing of Bears legend Mike Ditka, Chicago will honor the team’s former head coach and player throughout the evening.

Before the game, mascot Staley Da Bear was spotted wearing Ditka’s signature mustache, glasses and vest; other fans also donned this look.

The Chicago Bears are 3-point home favorites against the suddenly red-hot New England Patriots on Thursday night. Chicago hosted Caleb Williams on Sunday against Atlanta, and the Bears’ offense looked unstoppable for stretches of the game in taking a 31-7 lead, before two late Atlanta scores made the finale closer than it should have been. Drake Maye has turned his season around, but will have his hands full trying to keep up with Chicago’s offense. That total is already up a few points from its first game, but I’m expecting a great game between two potential playoff teams in this one that tops the total by 50.5.

What else do you need to know for Thursday night? Check out our TNF preview, including our pick of key players to watch and the biggest fantasy football storylines.

Through the first three weeks of the season, it seemed like Drake Maye and the New England Patriots were suffering from a nasty Super Bowl hangover.

But the narrative has changed over the last three games, with Maye appearing to have found his rhythm. Consult its statistics for each period:

Is there a quarterback in the NFL hotter than Maye right now? I don’t think so.

Maye has been sensational of late, throwing for 878 yards and 10 touchdowns against just one interception during the Patriots’ three-game winning streak. He is also the first New England QB to have three consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes since Tom Brady, who accomplished the feat in 2017.

Maye has managed that number in three of his last five starts, so I don’t see what’s stopping him here. His numbers (18 of 35, 235 yards, 3 TDs) against the Jets would have been better if his receivers had made routine catches, including AJ Brown and the three drops he had in the victory.

Check out the rest of our favorite bets for TNF, including a pick against the spread.

Point spread: Bear -3

Moneyline Odds: Bears -156, Patriots +132

Total points: Over/under 50.5

The Patriots lost 13-10 in Seattle in the first game, despite being able to score a tying field goal at the end. If this turns out to be different, we’ll have a much different conversation about the Patriots. They blew away the Steelers and Raiders, who have had some good times this season. They won at the Bills. The win against the Jets may not have been dominant, but they were up 10 points heading into the final minute.

Of course, the Patriots’ season turned upside down when Drake Maye started warming up. In three games, he totaled 585 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. In the three games since, he has totaled 878 yards, 10 touchdowns and an interception. AJ Brown is back (although Romeo Doubs went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury), so the Patriots offense should continue to flourish. They are 7th in the power rankings, up from 11th last week.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ 31-23 win over the Falcons wasn’t really that close. The Bears let up in the fourth quarter, turning a 31-7 lead into a one-score game. It’s not ideal, but the way they played for three quarters when Caleb Williams returned was impressive.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon’s odd 2026 has taken a positive turn. Gordon had missed the offseason and the first five games with a calf injury, prompting questions about his future with the team. In just 17 snaps Sunday, Gordon had three sacks and two forced fumbles. He is the first Bears defensive back with three sacks in a game since Todd Bell in 1983. He is only the second defensive back in NFL history with three sacks and two forced fumbles in a game, joining Rod Kush of the Houston Oilers in 1985, according to the Bears website. His play will be welcome in the Bears defense.

The Bears sit in 6th place in the power rankings this week, up from 8th place last week.

With less than 90 minutes until the Patriots and Bears kickoff, each team announced their Week 7 inactives.

Here is an overview:

Inactive Patriots

• QB Behren Morton (3rd emergency QB)

Inactive bears

• QB Case Keenum (Emergency 3rd QB)

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report on Wednesday, giving fans some good and bad news ahead of Thursday night’s game.

The bad news? The Bears ruled out running back Kyle Monangai for the second straight game with thumb and toe injuries. Monangai suffered those injuries in Week 4, when he had 30 carries with 150 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Starting linebacker TJ Edwards was also listed as “questionable” due to a hamstring injury after missing Week 6.

The good news is the team will have starting right guard Jonah Jackson, who did not have a final injury designation after being listed as non-participant during Monday’s walkthrough. He will be ready to leave Thursday evening.

Just days after Christian Gonzalez returned from a shoulder injury that kept him out for two games, he is now downgraded to “questionable” status with illness for Thursday night, the team announced ahead of inactive announcements.