Caleb Williams leads Bears past Patriots 30-24 as Chicago withstands late push
Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns in Chicago’s Thursday night win, which ended New England’s three-game winning streak.
Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns as the Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30-24 in Chicago on Thursday, October 22, ending New England’s three-game winning streak. The Bears improved to 5-2 and the Patriots fell to 4-3 after a game in which Chicago never trailed but still had to protect its lead in the final minutes.
How Chicago closed out the win
Facing third-and-9 from the Bears’ 10-yard line with 4:59 remaining, Williams completed a 21-yard pass to Rome Odunze to keep a late drive alive, ESPN reported. Cairo Santos later kicked a 58-yard field goal, the longest of his career, to extend Chicago’s lead to 30-21. Santos had missed from 53 yards earlier in the fourth quarter, according to the Guardian.
Drake Maye then moved New England into range for Andy Borregales’s 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds left. The Bears recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock, according to the Guardian. Chicago’s late recovery preserved a six-point margin after New England had stayed close throughout the night.
Williams completed 22 of 33 passes for his second consecutive 300-yard passing game, ESPN reported. Luther Burden III caught all four of his targets for 130 yards and a touchdown, with all of those yards coming in the first half. Colston Loveland also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass for Chicago, while D’Andre Swift scored on a four-yard run.
Maye’s yardage kept the Patriots close
Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score. He also threw an interception in the end zone in the first half. His 48-yard touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson on the final play before halftime cut Chicago’s lead to 20-14, according to the game accounts.
Stevenson finished with five catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, while Eli Raridon caught a 30-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, the Guardian reported. New England had entered the game on a three-game winning streak during which Maye threw 10 touchdown passes and one interception. Thursday’s loss was the Patriots’ first in four games.
The game was Chicago’s first at home since former Bears coach Mike Ditka died on October 9. The team held a pregame moment of silence, according to the Guardian. It was also the second meeting between Williams and Maye, who were selected first and third, respectively, in the 2024 NFL draft.
Read in depth: Sports
Brewers–Rays World Series brings two roof designs into focus
Milwaukee’s retractable roof and Tampa Bay’s permanent dome present different overhead obstacles after each ballpark saw a playoff fly ball strike a structure.
Manchester United identify possible Carrick replacements before Bournemouth match
Michael Carrick is expected to lead Manchester United on Sunday, but BBC Sport reports that the club has begun identifying possible replacements after its defeat by Como.
Sources and context
- Caleb Williams, Bears find just enough to hold off PatsESPN (reporting by Courtney Cronin and Mike Reiss)
- Caleb Williams outduels friend and rival Drake Maye as Bears beat PatriotsThe Guardian (agency attribution not specified in retrieved text)
- Bears Hold Off Patriots 30-24 to Snap New England’s Winning StreakEasy Sportz, republished by Yahoo
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.