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Patriots opponent preview: The Bears are legit
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- Patriots opponent preview: The Bears are legit
Winners of three straight games, the New England Patriots had little time to enjoy their victory over the New York Jets on Sunday. They quickly turned their attention to their upcoming Week 7 game on Thursday Night Football.
The quick turnaround is not the only challenge this week, though. Even though they are ranked only third in the NFC North at the moment, the Bears look like one of the best teams in football right now: good on offense, good on defense, solid in the return game.
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Sounds familiar?
Well, let's take a closer look.
Bears key stats
The Patriots and Bears are entering their prime time meeting with identical 4-2 records, and similar numbers across the board. What those go to show is that the Bears in Year 2 under head coach Ben Johnson are a legitimate contender — and quite similar to their opponent this week.
| Bears |
Patriots |
|
|---|---|---|
| Record |
4-2 (3rd NFCN) |
4-2 (2nd AFCE) |
| Scoring diff. |
+31 (5th) |
+23 (t-9th) |
| Points /game |
25.0 (12th) |
22.7 (t-18th) |
| Points allowed/game |
19.8 (6th) |
18.8 (5th) |
| Off. yards/game |
388.3 (5th) |
374.2 (7th) |
| Off. EPA/play |
0.033 (14th) |
0.040 (12th) |
| Off. EPA/dropback |
0.117 (14th) |
0.191 (8th) |
| Off. EPA/run |
-0.076 (12th) |
-0.181 (25th) |
| Def. yards/game |
302.3 (7th) |
300.8 (6th) |
| Def. EPA/play |
-0.046 (8th) |
-0.014 (18th) |
| Def. EPA/dropback |
-0.039 (5th) |
0.021 (13th) |
| Def. EPA/run |
-0.057 (25th) |
-0.072 (24th) |
| Turnover diff. |
-2 (t-19th) |
-6 (30th) |
| Giveaways |
11 (t-24th) |
13 (31st) |
| Takeaways |
9 (t-8th) |
7 (t-18th) |
Even though quarterback Caleb Williams has played only three games so far this season, Chicago's offense still ranks in the top half of the league in multiple categories. It is moving the ball well and able to extend drives on third down (45.5%; 6th). Like its Patriots counterpart, however, it also has had its issues with finishing: the Bears are tied for 22nd with a 50.0% red zone rate and tied for sixth-worst in the NFL in total giveaways (11) and turnover rate (16.2%).
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Defensively, the unit has performed very well especially against the pass — another similarity with the Patriots, who, like the Bears, have had issues against the run. Turnovers have played a role in Chicago's strong overall rankings on that side of the. ball, but so has its ability to generate pressure: the team's 17 sacks and 30.2% pressure rate are both top-5 in the league through six weeks.
Bears 2026 season
As noted above, Caleb Williams has not been able to play the entirety of Chicago's season. He hurt his hamstring late in Week 2, and subsequently had to sit out the next three games as well. During that span, the Bears did go 2-1 — a testament to their backup quarterbacks and the team's overall talent (and the fact that the Eagles and Jets are both beatable teams in 2026).
Week 1:59-37 win at Carolina Panthers (1-0)
Week 2:9-3 loss vs. Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
Week 3:27-7 win vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Week 4:23-12 win vs. New York Jets (3-1)
Week 5:31-7 loss at Green Bay Packers (3-2)
Week 6:31-23 win at Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
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The Bears started their campaign with a shootout win over the Panthers, but just a week later found themselves on the wrong end of a 9-3 loss. Their 56-point swing between those two games was the biggest in since 1973.
Chicago rebounded with those two wins over the Eagles and Jets, followed by a lopsided loss in Green Bay. Their 0-2 record in a competitive division is why the Bears are only third in the NFC North right despite still being sixth in the NFC playoff picture.
On Sunday against the Falcons, Chicago rebounded in style. With Williams back in the lineup, the team jumped to a 31-7 lead before surrendering two late touchdowns. The Bears dominated time of possession and ran 73 plays compared to Atlanta's 50.
Bears active roster
Roster up-to-date as of Oct. 21, 5 a.m. ET | *denotes nominal starter
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Quarterback (3):Caleb Williams* (18), Tyson Bagent (17), Case Keenum (11)
Running back (3):D'Andre Swift* (4), Kyle Monangai (25), Roschon Johnson (23)
Wide receiver (5):Rome Odunze* (15), Luther Burden III* (10), Kalif Raymond (14 | PR), Zavion Thomas (13 | KR), Jahdae Walker (9)
Tight end (3):Colston Loveland* (84), Cole Kmet* (85), Sam Roush (87)
Offensive tackle (3):Theo Benedet* (79 | LT), Darnell Wright* (58 | RT), Ozzy Trapilo (75)
Interior offensive line (6):Joe Thuney* (62 | LG), Garrett Bradbury* (67 | C), Jonah Jackson* (73 | RG), Luke Newman (65), Logan Jones (54), Jordan McFadden (74)
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Interior defensive line (5):Grady Jarrett* (50), Kentavius Street* (93), Neville Gallimore (90), Jordan van den Berg (96), Jayden Loving (91)
Defensive edge (5):Austin Booker* (94), James Lynch* (97), Shemar Turner (95), Daniel Hardy (92), Jamree Kromah (59)
Linebacker (6):Devin Bush Jr.* (12), T.J. Edwards* (53), D'Marco Jackson (48), Noah Sewell (44), Jack Sanborn (57), Keyshaun Elliott (49)
Cornerback (7):Jaylon Johnson* (1), Kyler Gordon* (6), Malik Muhammad II* (24), Tyrique Stevenson Sr. (29), Josh Blackwell (39), Clark Phillips III (20), Nick McCloud (26)
Safety (4):Dillon Thieneman* (31), Cam Lewis* (21), Elijah Hicks (22), Skyler Thomas (38)
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Specialists (3):Cairo Santos (8 | K), Tory Taylor (19 | P/H), Scott Daly (46 | LS)
Even tough Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum have both played meaningful snaps this season, the Bears offense is all about Caleb Williams. The first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft is the prototypical modern-era quarterback due to his immense arm talent and physical skill combined with the ability to keep plays alive and stress defenses with his legs if need be.
In his three starts this season, Williams completed a league-leading 72.5% of his passes for 712 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also scored on a pair of rushes, contributing to a combined EPA per play of 0.247 — fifth-highest among all qualifying quarterbacks right now. If there are any negatives, it's Williams taking nine sacks thus far and fumbling the ball twice.
His supporting cast is talented across the board, even with left tackle Braxton Jones out due to injury. It starts at running back, where D'Andre Swift is the main man and a dangerous player as a runner and receiver: he has carried the ball 94 times for 398 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Kyle Monangai has also produced at a high level, though, gaining 324 yards and scoring three times on 60 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per run — impressive numbers.
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The receiving corps mainly consists of five players, with some alternating as starters. The core guys are Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland, whose catches/yards/touchdowns stat lines are solid — 20/312/0 and 19/175/1 — but naturally impacted by Williams' absence. Atop of the list, meanwhile, are Luther Burden (31/361/1) and Kalif Raymond (26/244/1), who rank first and second on the team in receptions. Also part of the mix is Cole Kmet (7/59/1), whose statistics are mediocre but who plays an important role as a blocker.
The offensive line, as noted above, has been forced to replace its left tackle with backup Theo Benedet. It still has one of the best left guards in the game, ageless wonder and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thuney, as well as another ex-Patriot, Garrett Bradbury, manning the center position. The right side led by Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright has been quite solid as well; in fact, it is where the Bears have done their most damage on the ground.
On defense, Chicago will be without starting edges Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat, who are ranked first and second on the team with 14 and 13 quarterback pressures, respectively. As can be seen, the personnel questions are another similarity with the Patriots, even though the Bears have not had to deal with the same volume of injuries this year.
With Odeyingbo and Sweat out, a mix of Austin Booker, James Lynch and Shemar Turner will man the edge. Booker ranks first on the team with four sacks this season, meaning that he is capable of making an impact regardless of who else is on the field with him.
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Devin Bush Jr. and T.J. Edwards definitely will be for most of the snaps. Bush Jr. is enjoying a career renaissance as the team's top linebacker, whereas Edwards has been solid albeit a bit less consistent (as evidenced by his team-leading six missed tackles) as his running mate. D'Marco Jackson has also seen regular action as a rotational option capable of lining up both off the ball and on the edge.
The secondary received some reinforcements last week, with Kyler Gordon returning from the PUP list and immediately making an impact: he tied an NFL record for most sacks in a single game by a cornerback with three, and also forced two fumbles. He is now part of a group also featuring two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson as the No. 1 cornerback, and fourth-round rookie Malik Muhammad as a surprise starter alongside them.
At safety, first-round rookie Dillon Thieneman has come as advertised and together with veteran Cam Lewis is forming a solid 1-2 duo as the last line of defense.
As far as the kicking game is concerned, Kalif Raymond and Zavion Thomas are the main returners, with the former averaging 12.3 yards on 12 punt runbacks and the latter gaining 24.8 yards per kickoff. For comparison, the Patriots' featured returners are averaging 9.8 (Marcus Jones) and 24.1 (Kyle Williams) this year. The kicking operation led by Cairo Santos is a bit of a question mark after missing three of 11 field goal attempts this season so far.
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Bears reserves
Practice squad (16):QB Miller Moss (16), RB Salvon Ahmed (36), RB Zavier Scott (30), WR Kaden Davis (81), WR Scotty Miller (82), WR J.P. Richardson (83), TE Stephen Carlson (88), TE Qadir Ismail (80), OT Christian Jones (72), OL Caden Barnett (76), LB Buddy Johnson (47), LB Wayne Matthews (35), CB K.C. Eziomume (32), CB Elijah Jones (37), S Keidron Smith (33), LS Beau Gardner (45)
IR (9):RB Brittain Brown (38), TE Nikola Kalinic (86), TE Hayden Large (43), LT Braxton Jones (70), ED Dayo Odeyingbo (55), LB Tony Fields II (43), LB Nephi Sewell (46), S Coby Bryant (2), S Anthony Johnson Jr. (27 | PS IR)
Suspended (1):ED Montez Sweat (98)
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The biggest names on the Bears' reserve lists are the aforementioned Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat. Odeyingbo was recently placed on IR with a quad injury, while Sweat is currently suspended for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy and not eligible to return until after this week's game. Also on injured reserve are two other starters: left tackle Braxton Jones and safety Coby Bryant, neither of whom will be able to play this week.
As mentioned earlier, the Bears have not been hit quite as hard as the Patriots, but they too have had to adapt after suffering some key losses — including, possibly, Kyle Monangai and T.J. Edwards this week, who were non-participants during practice on Tuesday .
Bears coaching staff
Head coach:Ben Johnson
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Coordinators:Press Taylor (OC), Dennis Allen (DC), Richard Hightower (ST)
The Bears hired Ben Johnson as their head coach last year. If not for fellow new arrival Mike Vrabel, he could have earned Coach of the Year honors for turning a 5-12 record the previous season into 11-6 and a playoff berth. Johnson did see some changes from 2025 to 2026, however, with offensive coordinator Declan Doyle leaving for the Ravens; Press Taylor was promoted from pass game coordinator to OC in his place. Of course, Johnson remains actively involved on that side of the ball.
Johnson's staff also includes some familiar names. Offensive analyst Will Lawing served as Patriots tight ends coach in 2022, while quality control coach and former wide receiver Isaiah Ford had a one-month stint with the team in 2020.
