The Chicago Bears face a challenge from the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, with head coach Ben Johnson pointing to the opposing quarterback’s ability to make plays through the air and on the ground.
The Patriots enter the matchup on a three-game winning streak, with their recent offensive production led by strong performances in the passing game.
Bears HC explains what makes the Patriots offense dangerous
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson discussed New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye ahead of Thursday Night Football. Johnson pointed to Maye’s ability to throw deep passes and gain yards with his legs.
The Patriots have won three consecutive games, beating the Buffalo Bills 29–26, the Las Vegas Raiders 45–17 and the New York Jets 26–19. Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns against Buffalo, 374 yards and four touchdowns against Las Vegas, and 235 yards and three touchdowns against New York. Across those three wins, he recorded 878 passing yards and 10 touchdown passes.
Maye completed 64.1% of his passes during that stretch and threw one interception. In his first three games of the season, he recorded one touchdown pass and six interceptions. Over the following three games, he threw 10 touchdown passes and one interception.
“It’s a dangerous combination of a guy that’s an elite deep ball thrower along with he can crush you with his legs… I think that combination is deadly…” Johnson said.
Johnson also credited Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with putting players in good positions to make plays. New England has scored 29, 45 and 26 points in its last three games while building its winning streak.
Through six games this season, Maye has recorded 1,463 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, 185 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
New England will look to extend its three-game winning streak at Soldier Field as Maye enters the game following a productive three-game stretch.
Bears prepare for Patriots clash
The Chicago Bears will host the New England Patriots on Thursday, October 22, at Soldier Field in Chicago. Both teams enter the Thursday Night Football matchup with 4–2 records.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had been sidelined with a hamstring injury before returning against the Atlanta Falcons, completing 25 of 30 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown. Chicago will also rely on its rushing offense, which averaged 160.7 yards per game entering Thursday’s matchup.
Defensively, the Bears had allowed an average of 19.8 points per game through their first six contests. However, defensive end Montez Sweat will be unavailable while serving the second game of a two-game suspension.
The Bears will need to account for Maye as New England enters the game following three consecutive victories. The Patriots will visit the Bears on Thursday night at Soldier Field, with both teams looking to improve on their records.
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