The Chicago Bears came away with a win over the New England Patriots in a 30-24 thriller on Thursday night. They moved to 5-3 and cemented their status as a legit contender (to those who were still unconvinced) by knocking off the defending AFC champions.
The Bears got off to a quick start, but the Patriots promptly answered back (immediately) before halftime. There was a notion that the matchup could be a potential Super Bowl preview, and it lived up to that billing from a competitive standpoint.
The defense struggled mightily against Drake Maye and Co., and they had a few rough performances on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, the offense (and special teams unit) featured a handful of promising ones.
Who were the most significant instances of each?
Winner: Luther Burden III
Luther Burden III is becoming a feature on these weekly installments. Is there a receiver in the NFL who is better with the ball in his hands than Burden right now? If there is, then there certainly aren't many of them. He followed last week's eight-catch, 95-yard performance with a four-catch, 130-yard showing tonight.
While he didn't make a dent in the stat sheets in the second half, his first-half performance was more than enough to warrant a spot on this list. Even with Rome Odunze catching fire late, it's quickly become clear who the top receiver in the Bears offense is. On that note...
Loser: Zavion Thomas
No block, no rock. Unfortunately, rookie receiver Zavion Thomas' blocking issues are not due to a lack of effort. We'll soon see whether the saying "no legal block, no rock" applies to him. Two holding penalties nullified big plays on the ground tonight.
Now, it's also worth noting that one of those holding calls (the second one that took away a D'Andre Swift first-down run) was highly questionable. Still, with a ref crew that had an eagle eye for anything that looked close to holding, he should've been a bit more careful in that spot. To Thomas' credit (because I do like what he's shown overall, sue me), he did have a huge 47-yard kick return in the second quarter.
Winner: D'Marco Jackson
D'Marco Jackson easily had the best performance we've seen from a Bears linebacker this season. He was all over the field from the first snap. The end zone interception is obviously the biggest highlight, but he was equally strong against the run. He shot running lanes left and right and is much more a force near the line of scrimmage than Devin Bush.
Jackson finished second on the team with six tackles and he also had a pass deflection. The 28-year-old might not be their biggest name at linebacker, but he's clearly the most well-rounded of the group. He should have a huge role every week, regardless of T.J. Edwards' status.
Loser: Cam Lewis
Cam Lewis played awful tonight. He took poor angles in run support all night, and should lose his blitz privileges if defensive coordinator Dennis Allen can stomach such a thought. Drake Maye shook him out of his cleats a few times, and he lost contain when pinning his ears back more often than not.
It also seemed like Rhamondre Stevenson was his assignment on the unacceptable screen pass that went for a touchdown before halftime (although he might've been on a blitz). He was a step slow in pursuit the whole way, and is at least partially to blame (and fully to blame if that was his assignment) for that play.
Winner: Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams was dealing tonight. Williams notably made a few key plays on third down to keep drives extended. He still doesn't look like he has the same breakaway speed that he had prior to suffering a hamstring injury, but he's been able to get it done with his arm.
Williams completed 22 of 33 attempts for 308 yards and 2 passing TDs tonight. He also added 18 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, Williams almost lost his spot on this list (not really, but it was bad) late in the contest after taking an unacceptable sack that nearly knocked them out of field goal range. However, Cairo Santos bailed him out with a career-long 58-yard kick to make it a two-score game.
Loser: Bears pass defense
Simply put, Drake Maye was on the money tonight. Aside from his rough interception, he was consistently finding the open man whenever the Bears sent extra rushers. He also showed an innate ability to evade the rush and make plays outside the pocket.
Dennis Allen had the Patriots offense on their heels early on, but their counter-punch was far more potent. While Maye deserves a ton of credit for their success through the air, Chicago's defense also deserves some blame for a flat showing. I've already highlighted the TD before halftime that I'm going to try very hard to forget, but that was only one of many plays where they were caught out of position.
Winner: Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos is the hero of tonight's matchup. He absolutely nailed a 58-yard attempt to make it a nine-point game with 1:28 left in the game, and he didn't even make fans sweat it (much) by sending it right down the middle. Not only was it Santos' career long by three yards, but it was the third-longest field goal in Soldier Field history. The fact that Ben Johnson had enough confidence in him to send him out in that spot is also huge.
He more than made up for a miss from 53 yards earlier in the contest (a doink off the upright, naturally). All concerns surrounding Santos leg strength are effectively null-and-void. The most accurate kicker in franchise history came through clutch once again, and he'll stick around for the remainder of his career.
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