It wasn't so long ago that the very idea of a Chicago Bears game on Thursday Night Football induced images of a dreadful, plodding snooze-fest, but these are not your father's Bears. Quarterback Caleb Williams made his return from injury last week in a bounce back win over the Atlanta Falcons, a game which was arguably his best performance yet as a pro.
Now, Williams and the Bears are set to square up with the red-hot New England Patriots on Thursday night, and there ought to be no shortage of fireworks in this one. As I mentioned in my keys to victory for the Bears, these teams are like mirrored images of each other, and that should make for an exciting game that leaves the winner with some major bragging rights.
That said, let's make some stat predictions for the likely stars of this game.
1. Caleb Williams: 24-of-33 passing for 285 yards, two touchdowns, and zero sacks or turnovers
Let's get bold with this first prediction and say that Williams will play close to a perfect game. New England's defense is better than Atlanta's, but closer to the middle of the pack than the NFL's elite units. With that in mind, I predict that Williams will complete over 70% of his passes for the second straight week and make zero negative plays (sacks or turnovers).
Unfortunately for Williams, I think it's always going to be hard for him to throw for 300-plus yards and three or more touchdowns. Head coach Ben Johnson leans heavily on the run game, and for good reason, and so the running backs are always going to account for a large portion of Chicago's offensive production, and I think we'll see that again tonight.
2. Drake Maye: 28-of-36 for 300 yards, three touchdowns, one fumble, and one interception
As aforementioned, we're going to be in for a real treat on Thursday Night Football this week. Williams and Maye appear to be the faces of the next generation of superstar quarterbacks, and it's a darn shame that they play in opposite conferences or we'd get to see them battle each other much more often.
Even though Maye struggled mightily to start the season, his confidence never wavered and now it shows. Expect him to put up some big numbers, including 300 yards and three touchdowns, against Chicago's vulnerable defense as he goes blow-for-blow with Williams. However, a pair of brutal turnovers will be the hinge on which the outcome of the game turns, and that's why I'm picking the Bears to win.
3. Kyler Gordon: one interception and one strip-sack
Kyler Gordon's historic Week 6 performance was about as good as we've ever seen from a player returning from injury, and while some regression is practically guaranteed, I think we're in for another statement game from Gordon. He'll be the player who benefits from Maye's turnovers, giving him his first interception of the season and yet another forced fumble.
At the end of the day, Gordon has always been a playmaker. An argument could be made that he's the most important part of the defense, and that's what has made his repeated, extended absences from the team so hard to stomach. But if he's fully healthy, he's going to be a huge problem for the Patriots' offense, indeed for any offense in the league.
4. Bears' defensive line gets five sacks
With all the injuries to New England's offensive line, the Bears' defensive line will have a chance to take over this game, especially along the interior of the line. The Patriots ruled out both starting guards for Week 7, and right tackle Morgan Moses is banged up after leaving their Week 6 game early. This is a prime opportunity for Dennis Allen's defense to terrorize an opposing quarterback, and I expect them to seize it.
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