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Caleb Williams and Drake Maye share a stage again on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
The Chicago Bears host the New England Patriots at 8:15 p.m. Eastern on Prime Video.
Both teams arrive at 4 and 2 in a Week 7 opener loaded with storylines.
It is a rematch of Super Bowl 20, played this time in the shadow of Mike Ditka and his recent passing.
It is also the second meeting in three years between two of the top three picks in the 2024 draft.
Williams went first overall that spring. Maye went third overall to New England.
One of them walks off the lakefront with a fifth win and real momentum.
Major Takeaways
Williams returned from three missed games and won NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
He completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards in a 31 to 23 win over Atlanta.
Maye has thrown three touchdown passes in three straight games for the Patriots.
New England will start two backup guards behind an offensive line hit hard by injuries.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. Eastern at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Caleb Williams Is Back and Dealing for Chicago
Williams missed three games with a hamstring injury, the first missed starts of his career.
He came back Sunday in Atlanta and looked like he had never left.
Chicago scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and built a 14 to 0 lead.
Williams completed all 10 of his passes for 122 yards across those two drives.
His first throw of the day went for a score, a 14 yard touchdown to Colston Loveland.
He connected on his first 12 attempts overall, the longest streak of his career.
By the end he had hit eight different receivers as Chicago built a 31 to 7 lead.
His 83.3 completion percentage set a Bears record for a quarterback with at least 30 attempts.
From a clean pocket he completed 24 of 24 passes for 248 yards.
That is the most clean pocket attempts without a miss in a game since at least 2018.
The Loveland touchdown also carried history for a young Black quarterback on the rise.
Williams became just the third quarterback ever to throw 50 career touchdowns before 15 interceptions.
The only other two are Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
That is the company Williams now keeps, and Chicago fans know exactly what it means.
D’Andre Swift ran for two touchdowns while Roschon Johnson added a third score on the ground.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon returned in the same game and forced a late fumble to stall Atlanta.
Read more in our Football coverage as the season builds.
Drake Maye Keeps the Patriots Rolling Into Town
New England stumbled to a 1 and 2 start while Maye searched for his rhythm.
The Patriots have not lost since, stacking three straight wins to reach 4 and 2.
The run started with a 29 to 26 upset win at Buffalo in Week 4.
A 45 to 17 rout of Las Vegas followed before a 26 to 19 win over the Jets.
Against New York, Maye completed 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
It was his third straight game with at least three touchdown passes.
His scores went to DeMario Douglas, Romeo Doubs and Hunter Henry.
Douglas led the team with seven catches for 86 yards in the win.
New England also ran for 148 yards as a team in the win.
The defense held the Jets scoreless on three trips inside the red zone.
New York converted just 3 of 10 third downs and failed on both fourth down tries.
Maye again looks like the MVP candidate he was a season ago.
Injuries Will Shape This Thursday Night Clash
The short week has not been kind to the New England offensive line.
Starting guards Alijah Vera Tucker and Ben Brown have both been ruled out.
Vera Tucker hurt his hamstring last week against the Jets and was ruled out Wednesday.
Walter Rouse steps in at left guard for the first start of his NFL career.
Matt Pryor is set to fill in at right guard for Brown.
Right tackle Morgan Moses is questionable with foot and ankle injuries after limited practice.
Rookie Caleb Lomu waits as the next man up if Moses cannot go.
Left tackle Will Campbell has been playing through a knee injury of his own.
Cornerback Carlton Davis III will also miss another week for the Patriots.
Receiver Romeo Doubs landed on injured reserve this week with a shoulder injury.
Doubs was hurt on his touchdown catch against the Jets and did not return.
That puts even more weight on A. J. Brown, the Mississippi born star wideout.
Brown caught just three of 10 targets in his first week back from a sprained ankle.
New England needs the real Brown to arrive in Chicago, and fast.
Chicago has its own concerns on the short week.
Running back Kyle Monangai faces an uphill climb to rejoin the lineup in time.
Linebacker T. J. Edwards is likely to miss a second straight game as well.
Still, the Bears are home, rested enough and riding the return of their franchise passer.
Follow the full picture in our Sports section all season long.
The Blitz Decides Caleb Williams Against Drake Maye
Both defenses love to bring pressure, and both quarterbacks will feel it.
New England blitzes at the sixth highest rate in the entire league.
That is a problem for Williams based on the numbers so far.
Williams owns just a 79.9 passer rating when teams send extra rushers at him.
Maye has handled the blitz far better, posting a 102.8 rating against it.
The flip side is what Williams did Sunday when Atlanta kept him clean.
A perfect 24 of 24 from a clean pocket is a warning to every defense.
If Chicago protects him, Williams can pick a secondary apart piece by piece.
If New England gets home, the night could tilt the other way in a hurry.
Chicago also proved it can pressure, sacking Michael Penix Jr. five times last week.
Gordon accounted for three of those sacks in a monster return game.
History, Home Field and a Statement Game
Older fans in Chicago still talk about the Super Bowl 20 team with pride.
Thursday night gives this young Bears team a chance to honor that memory.
The game also opens a run of three straight prime time games for Chicago.
That stretch runs right up to the Bears bye week in Week 10.
For Black fans in Chicago, this era feels different from the long search before it.
The franchise passer is a young Black quarterback playing with joy and command.
Williams told his coach last week that he wanted to push and see where this team stands.
Thursday night answers that question in front of the whole country.
Maye and the defending AFC champion Patriots will not hand him anything.
That is what makes this the best seat in football on Thursday night.
Our recent 49ers and Commanders recap shows how tight these prime time games get.
