The Patriots entered “Monday Night Football” with an 8.5-point win over the Bears, hoping to win their third straight game with Mike Jones returning to the lineup after a three-game absence. They returned to center with rookie Bailey Zappe, and Bill Belichick’s defense was the best of Justin Fields’ young Bears career. Although Zappe’s entry and New England’s passing attack briefly ignited the crowd at Gillette Stadium, Fields stole the show at quarterback, 33-14 in primetime in Chicago. He stole the show at the quarterback position in the upset win over Chicago.
Jones, recovering from a high ankle sprain, Belichick had him less than a quarter off the bench after an ugly second-quarter interception. But after a streak of scoring drives to start his night, there’s only so much Zappe’s energy can do for the Pats. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that New England trailed for the first time in the game for the 10th time, and three turnovers — one for Jakobi Meyers, and counter-attacks on Roquan Smith and Kyler Gordon — gave the Bears a literal runaway victory .
Here are some highlights from Monday night’s Big Bear upset:
Why the Bears won
They finally figured out how to make Fields win. Like the Giants did with Daniel Jones, Chicago had the young QB leaning on his lap, and the signal caller did his part, showing extra effort and elite vision to speed up the offense on a designed carry. The rhythm also includes a tough touch from David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. During that stretch, he hit enough low post shots, including a key late shot on tight end Cole Kermet, to keep the Patriots on their toes. Simply put, the Bears were built to win old-fashioned football, and on Monday they allowed arguably their best athlete — the QB — to help them do just that.
Matt Eberflus’ defense was also important for much of the night. Jaquan Brisker’s selection of Mac Jones forced a change in New England’s QB, and after Zappe’s initial spark, his unit hone essentially wiped out two punches from the Patriots’ usually powerful Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris, who combined for just 40 code into a gradually decreasing action time. Roquan Smith’s pick-up game for Zappe in the fourth almost sealed the deal, and Kyler Gordon’s own INT just rubbed it in.
Why the Patriots lost
Outside of Zappe’s first two tee shots, Jones had been standing on the sidelines, wearing a helmet, as if he was waiting for a momentary call to re-enter the game, and they couldn’t move the ball in any rhythm and couldn’t stop the Bears. Three-headed ground game. The QB conversion initially looked talented, with rookie Zappe confidently throwing it down the frontcourt while DeVante Parker played for the young signaller. But then three outs doomed the team, and by the end, the order from Zappe’s pocket all but disappeared. His wrong choice wiped out any chance of a possible comeback. It didn’t help that the line didn’t pave the way for any serious momentum from Stevenson or Harris throughout the night.
On the defensive end, the Patriots’ lacklustre night was perhaps more surprising. Although Matthew Judon (2.5 sacks) flashed more on the sideline, they had no way of keeping Fields in control once the QB got out of the pocket. Their steals left something to be desired in the red zone, with Montgomery and Herbert pushing their way.
turning point
Trailing 17-14 with 1:32 left in the first half, the Patriots had a chance to reclaim the lead from their own 39 points. But a botched pass from Zappe to the Meyers dropped the ball and Justin Jones recovered to give Chicago an extra possession. After Fields’ quick attack on Darnell Mooney, the Bears extended their lead before halftime and never looked back.
Gameplay
Fields and Khalil Herbert’s hand-eye coordination on screen-passing TDs through traffic deserves support, but Bears rookie safety Jaquan Brisker showed his pick of Mac Jones early on:
what’s next
The Bears (3-4) will start Week 8 with the Cowboys (5-2), who beat the Lions in Game 1 of Dak Prescott on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Patriots (3-4), now in the cellar of the AFC East, will take on the soaring Jets (5-2), who beat the Broncos for their fourth straight game in Week 7 victory.
