Bears' Ben Johnson says how he really feels about Drake Maye before Bears-Patriots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Bears have their franchise quarterback Caleb Williams back after three weeks out with an injury, and it really showed in the team's last game. In their Week 6 win, the Bears had a strong victory over the Atlanta Falcons, 31-23, and it was a statement win from Williams.
Now, the Bears are under the "Thursday Night Football" lights against the New England Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye. Johnson knows that even though the Bears are trending up, they have to take every game seriously. With both the Bears and Patriots at 4-2, there's a lot at stake in this game.
Ahead of the matchup, Johnson met with reporters and was asked for his thoughts on Maye as a player.
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson praises Drake Maye ahead of 'Thursday Night Football' matchup
Johnson didn't hold back. He was quite complimentary of Maye and gave him a ton of praise on the podium.
"Combination of a guy that's an elite deep ball thrower along with he can crush you with his legs," he told the media, per Bears on Real. "That combination is deadly. You can see that their offense is putting up points in bunches right now, a three-game winning streak and a ton of explosive plays. Josh McDaniels does a great job making sure he puts those guys in the right spots."
Whenever a coach describes a quarterback as "deadly," you know he's taking him seriously. Johnson also gave the Patriots' offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, credit for setting up his players for success. Over the past three games, the Patriots have scored 29, 45 and 26 points to keep themselves in the win column. So, don't expect the Bears to go into this showdown calmly. This team knows it has to be explosive and put on a show for its hometown crowd.