The New England Patriots improved to 3-7 on the season with a 19-3 road win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye had a hit-or-miss afternoon, finishing 15-of-25 (60%) for 184 yards through the air, with one touchdown and one interception, a 79.4 passer rating. Maye did, however, outplay rookie counterpart Caleb Williams, who went 16-of-30 for 120 yards, for a passer rating of 63.2.

More impressive for the Pats was the performance of their defense, which allowed just the three total points and only 142 net yards of offense. They generated nine sacks and 13 total QB hits on the day, as the Bears struggled to protect Williams up front for most of the game.

The teams traded punts to start things off, then the Patriots were first to score. Maye’s 28-yard pass to tight end Austin Hooper set up the Pats in Bears territory, then they later converted a fourth-and-1 play for a fresh set of downs. Maye nearly threw a touchdown to receiver K.J. Osborn, but the officials confirmed that Osborn had stepped out of bounds for an illegal touching penalty. The Pats settled for a 30-yard Joey Slye field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

• New England Patriots on X (formerly Twitter): "Drake to Hoop for a big gain and a first down! 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/9HFuJWkMK1 / X"

  Drake to Hoop for a big gain and a first down! 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/9HFuJWkMK1

  The Patriots defense got another stop on the Bears’ second possession, capped with Deatrich Wise’s fourth sack of the season. But Maye couldn’t take advantage of the ensuing drive, throwing his fifth interception of the season to linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had underneath coverage on Hooper for a relatively easy leaping pick.

  Chicago Bears on X (formerly Twitter): "Takeaway T.J. 🙌📺: #NEvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/XsCUVZ5DT1 / X"

  Takeaway T.J. 🙌📺: #NEvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/XsCUVZ5DT1

• The Bears finally gained some traction on offense during a second-quarter drive. Williams drove the Bears 50 yards in 12 plays, but like Maye, had to settle for a field goal to tie it 3-3.

  Maye came up with a well-timed drive to answer the Bears in impressive fashion. Maye went 5-of-5 for 54 yards and a touchdown through the air, as the Pats totaled 70 yards in 10 plays, culminating with a Maye touchdown pass to rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk.

  New England Patriots on X (formerly Twitter): "Rookie to rookie TD 🏈@DrakeMaye2 | @jpolk_22📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/1LlcWz9nvW / X"

  Rookie to rookie TD 🏈@DrakeMaye2 | @jpolk_22📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/1LlcWz9nvW

• The Bears could only muster six yards on their next drive, as Williams went 0-of-3 passing and his team was forced to punt it back to the Pats with 35 seconds to go in the half. Maye and receiver Kayshon Boutte connected for a clutch 23-yard completion to put the Patriots in field goal range, and the offense was able to run up and stop the clock with just one second left in the half. Slye converted another field goal to make it 13-3 Pats at halftime.

  New England Patriots on X (formerly Twitter): ".@DrakeMaye2's pass to @KayshonBoutte1 to help set up the score ➡️📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/XFXEMkBd11 / X"

  @DrakeMaye2's pass to @KayshonBoutte1 to help set up the score ➡️📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/XFXEMkBd11

• The Patriots defense got off to a strong start in the third quarter, sacking Williams two more times to force another punt. But the offense couldn’t get out of its own way on the ensuing drive, as the offensive line committed two penalties (Mike Onwenu for ineligible receiver downfield, and Demontrey Jacobs for a false start) to derail an otherwise promising series of plays.

  New England punted two more times in the third quarter, but the defense also continued to keep the Bears off the scoreboard into the fourth. Midway through the final frame, the Patriots finally moved the ball with consistency, and got within seven yards of the end zone. Maye’s third-down attempt for Hunter Henry in the end zone fell incomplete, as the ball was behind the tight end and the Bears nearly picked it off, so the Pats had to settle for another Slye field goal to make it 16-3.

  New England Patriots on X (formerly Twitter): "Maye made room 👏@DrakeMaye2 | #NEvsCHI📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Ot53CBnoXB / X"

  Maye made room 👏@DrakeMaye2 | #NEvsCHI📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Ot53CBnoXB

• On the Bears’ next drive, they faced multiple fourth-down situations. They converted the first opportunity, but later, on fourth-and-10, cornerback Marcus Jones broke up a pass intended for Keenan Allen to force a turnover on downs.

  The Pats picked up 31 more yards on the ground to grind the clock and kick another field goal to go up 19-3, and the Bears were not able to score any more points, let alone pull off a miracle comeback. New England has now won two of its last three games after starting 1-6.

  Up Next: The Patriots return home for a much tougher matchup in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.

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