Thursday night football has leveled up the past few weeks. Traditionally, it hasn’t the most attractive matchup every week, but lately we’ve gotten good games (Maybe that Amazon money is making some noise).
This week should be no exception when New England travels to Chicago to take on the Bears. Both teams need this one to keep pace in their respective divisions.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 13: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after their 59-37 win against the Carolina Panthers of the game at Bank of America Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesNew England (+3) at Chicago
Thursday 8:15 pm Amazon Prime
We are in a “good” Drake Maye cycle at the moment. After a poor (horrible in fact) start to the year, Maye has turned up the production. The last three games has seen 10 touchdown passes and only one interception. He’s been efficient and moving the offense. With the running game operating below par, Maye needed to step it up. He’ll get a test against an inconsistent, but pretty good Chicago defense.
Caleb Williams returned last week and was excellent. He completed 83% of his passes and the Bears got a solid win over Atlanta. He was sacked four times though, it’s obvious he still isn’t 100%. He was good enough Sunday and he’ll need to do it again.
What do the Oddsmakers Say? The Patriots are at +3 at the moment. I see this as a field goal game anyway. There will be some points scored in this one. New England is 3-2-1 against the number so far this year. The Bears are 4-2 against the spread. When they win, they cover.
More odds: The over/under is 50.5. Looking at the Thursday night games I expected the under would hit more often. It’s exactly 3-3 thus far. I’m looking at the offenses putting up points.
Predictions: Over 50.5. Take the over here. New England is rolling along pretty nicely. I don’t think the Bears defense will keep pace. I don’t really do score predictions but 34-30 keeps popping into my head. After scuffling through a tough Week 6, What was I thinking? The Chargers? I’m going back to my theory about taking the points and will gladly take the Patriots and the field goal.
Props: Caleb Williams over 260 yards passing +118
Drake Maye 3+ passing touchdowns +260
D’Andre Swift 90+ rushing yards +305
This article was originally published on Forbes.com