CHICAGO — Officially, he already had one, but Drake Maye picked up his first real win of his starting career Sunday against the Bears.
Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was credited with a win in Week 8, but he left the game trailing after the first quarter while entering the concussion protocol against the Jets. He outdueled Bears starter Caleb Williams, this year’s No. 1 overall pick, but much of the credit for the 19-3 Week 10 win goes to the Patriots defense, who allowed just 144 net yards to the Bears and just over 100 yards passing to Williams.
Williams was sacked nine times by Patriots defenders, and the Bears averaged just 3.6 yards per carry as the Pats improved to 3-7. In a season in which the Patriots’ defense has disappointed against some lackluster offenses, this was a dominant performance from defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington’s unit.
The Patriots and Bears both traded three-and-outs to start the game.
Maye led the Patriots on a scoring drive on the offense’s second series, however, connecting with tight end Austin Hooper on a 28-yard pass on the first play. The Patriots were able to pick up two more first downs on the 11-play, 54-yard drive but had to settle for a 30-yard field goal from kicker Joey Slye. Maye had hit K.J. Osborn for a 12-yard pass into the end zone, but the veteran wide receiver was flagged for illegal touching after being the first person to touch the ball after going out of bounds.
After forcing the Bears to punt again, Maye threw an ugly interception on a target to Hooper. It appeared Maye believed he could throw it around T.J. Edwards, but he had no shot, and the Bears linebacker easily picked him off. The Bears were not able to score any points off of Maye’s interception, but they did kick a 33-yard field goal on their next possession.
The Patriots responded by going up 10-3 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Maye to wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. It was the rookie wide receiver’s second touchdown reception of the season. Overall, it was a 10-play, 70-yard drive that saw big plays from wide receiver DeMario Douglas and Hooper.
The Bears picked up one first down but were forced to punt with 47 seconds left before the half. The Patriots made the most of it and went 35 yards on five plays before Slye hit a 37-yard field goal to take a 13-3 lead at halftime.
The Patriots extended their lead after Slye hit a 25-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. He kicked another 33-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning to put the Patriots ahead 19-3.
Maye outperforms Williams
It’s too early to come to any conclusions about the 2024 rookie class, but Maye went 14-of-24 for 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception with three scrambles for 25 yards. Williams had accuracy issues while going 16-of-30 for 120 yards with two scrambles for 15 yards.
Bourne benched
The Patriots made wide receiver Kendrick Bourne active but didn’t play him on offense. Bourne had been told before the game that he might not play. The veteran wide receiver was the Patriots’ leading wide receiver in Week 9 but didn’t play his best game. Veteran wideout K.J. Osborn and rookie Ja’Lynn Polk took on bigger roles in Sunday’s game while Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas continued to play significant snaps. Rookie Javon Baker also saw some time on offense.
Rushing attack improves
There was a significant improvement in the Patriots’ run game this week, especially among their running backs, who spent the last four weeks averaging less than 2 yards per carry.
Rhamondre Stevenson rushed 17 times for 66 yards, while JaMycal Hasty gained 20 yards on six carries. Antonio Gibson continues to play a reduced role on offense but picked up 26 yards on just five carries.
New role for Schooler
The Patriots used special-teams star Brenden Schooler on defense as a third-down spy on Williams. He was excellent with a sack and QB hit on the Bears QB.
Pass rush picks up
The Patriots picked up nine sacks with edge defenders Anfernee Jennings and Deatrich Wise leading the way with two apiece. Schooler, linebacker Jahlani Tavai, defensive end Keion White, defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms and rookie safety Dell Pettus also had sacks.
Injuries
Patriots cornerback Marcellus Dial left the game with a head injury. Linebacker Sione Takitaki was listed as questionable to return with a hamstring injury, and Wise left late.
UP
TE Austin Hooper: Hooper, so far the team’s best free-agent find, caught two 20-plus yard passes from Maye, a 28-yarder and a 24-yarder. He finished with three catches for 64 yards.
WR Ja’Lynn Polk: Small victories, but Polk got back on the board with a 2-yard touchdown catch. It was Polk’s second score of the year. He’s been dealing with drop issues this season and suffered a concussion in Week 7.
DT Jeremiah Pharms: Pharms took on a part-time role but made the most of it. PFF charted him with a sack, a hurry and four defensive stops, including two tackles for loss and another stop for no gain.
S Dell Pettus: Let’s toss the undrafted rookie in here too. Pettus has served as valuable depth with Kyle Dugger injured and Jabrill Peppers on the commissioner’s exempt list. He tallied a pass breakup and sack.
DOWN
Offensive line penalties: The O-line was flagged twice on one drive, causing the team to punt. It was an ineligible downfield penalty on Mike Onwenu and a false start on right tackle Demontrey Jacobs.
Special teams: It was an up-and-down game on special teams. Marcus Jones shined again with a 24-yard punt return and Bryce Baringer had a 75-yard punt, but the unit was flagged twice and allowed a 38-yard return to Bears punt returner DeAndre Carter. Baringer placed one of five punts inside the 20-yard line and two touchbacks.
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