Published October 21, 2026 09:58 AM
When the Bears play the Patriots on Thursday night, it will be the first time Ben Johnson coaches against quarterback Drake Maye.
Asked about Maye in his Tuesday press conference, Johnson was highly complimentary of the quarterback’s multi-faceted skill set.
“Well, 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, via transcript from the team. “It’s really picked up steam over these last three games. You can see that their offense is putting up points in bunches right now — three-game winning streak and a ton of explosive plays throughout. When you look at it that way, he’s a big challenge.
“[Patriots OC] Josh McDaniels does a great job just making sure he puts those guys in the right spots. Even if they’re down some O-linemen, he’ll do a great job making sure he has that in mind and, showcases what the rest of their guys can do.”
While Maye had a rough start to the season, he’s performed better over the last three game, particularly the last two. After throwing for 374 yards with four touchdowns against Las Vegas in Week 5, he threw for 235 with three TDs in Sunday’s victory over the Jets.
Overall, Maye has completed 63.9 percent of his passes this season for 1,463 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for 185 yards with a TD.