Drake Maye outduels Caleb Williams, leads Patriots to 19-3 win over Bears
BOSTON -- Drake Maye won his first matchup against Caleb Williams, leading the New England Patriots to a 19-3 victory over the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.
Maye threw for 184 yards and a touchdown, which was enough for the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to outplay Williams, who was taken first overall by Chicago. Maye got a lot more out of his supporting cast than Williams did on Sunday, as Austin Hooper (three receptions, 64 yards), DeMario Douglas (four receptions, 50 yards), and Kayshon Boutte (four receptions, 47 yards) all made big catches. New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson also ran for 74 yards on 20 carries.
Meanwhile, the Patriots defense teed up on Williams, sacking the quarterback nine times on Sunday. The Bears amassed just 142 yards of total offense against New England.
The Patriots were the first team on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal by Joey Slye on their second possession, making it 10 straight weeks that Chicago's opponent has scored first. Maye led the Patriots on a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, completing key third-down passes to DeMario Douglas (17 yards on a third-and-3) and Austin Hooper (24 yards on a third-and-1) en route to the end zone. The drive ended with Maye hitting fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk for a two-yard touchdown on a nice play-action by the New England offense to give the Patriots a 10-3 edge.
Unlike previous weeks, the Patriots got aggressive when they got the ball back just ahead of halftime. Maye and company took over at their own 40 with 35 seconds left in the half, and got downfield on a 23-yard connection between Maye and Kayson Boutte. The Pats quickly got to the line after that reception and spiked the ball before Montez Sweat could get downfield for the Bears, giving the Patriots another five yards. Slye tacked on a 37-yard field goal and the Patriots took a 13-3 lead into the break.
New England's first three possessions of the second half ended with a punt, before the team got down to the Chicago 7-yard line on its fourth possession. Maye went looking for Hunter Henry in the end zone on a third-and-5 pass, but Chicago safety Elijah Hicks knocked the pass away and the Patriots settled for a 25-yard field goal to go up 16-3 with 7:30 remaining in the game.
While that drive only resulted in three points for New England, it took over six minutes off the clock. Antonio Gibson ran for 25 of New England's 47 yards on the drive.
The Bears got a first down on their next possession after converting on a fourth-and-2, but came up short on a fourth-and-10 at midfield when Williams (under heavy pressure) threw incomplete to Keenan Allen with Marcus Jones providing some solid coverage on the play. That gave the Patriots the ball back at the Chicago 46 with 4:54 to play.
The Patriots were facing a third-and-1 at the Chicago 37, but Maye faked a scramble before hitting Hunter Henry for a 14-yard gain to keep the drive going and forcing the Bears to use their final timeout with 4:34 left.
After three straight runs by Stevenson, the Patriots tacked on another field goal -- a 33-yarder by Slye -- with 2:17 left to take a 19-3 lead.
The Bears punted away four of their six possessions in the second half, and turned it over on downs on their other two possessions. Chicago managed just 55 yards of offense in the second half.
Drake Maye vs. Caleb Williams
Maye wasn't perfect, but he did what he had to do in completing 15 of his 25 passes for 184 yards and his touchdown. He did throw another bad interception in the first half on a pass he should have just thrown away, but he played mistake-free football in the second half.
Maye also didn't have to run as much previous weeks, and had just four scrambles for 24 yards.
The New England defense did a great job making Williams feel uncomfortable all day, forcing the rookie to do a lot of thinking before and after the snap. The QB was sacked nine times by the Patriots, with Jeremiah Pharms, Jahlani Tavai, Anfernee Jennings (two sacks), Keion White, Deatrich Wise Jr. (also two sacks), Dell Pettus, and Brenden Schooler all getting to Williams.
Williams completed just 16 of his 30 passes for 120 yards. He had no touchdowns or turnovers.
The Bears were just 1-for-14 on third down on Sunday.
What's next for the Patriots?
After back-to-back road games, the now-3-7 Patriots will host the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium in Week 11. The Rams are currently 4-4 and will be coming off a short week when they come to New England, as they'll host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football to conclude Week 10.
The Patriots are just 1-3 at home and 0-2 against the NFC West this season.
