The key facts

  • The Bears beat the Patriots 30:24 and improved to 5-2; the Patriots are 4-3
  • Williams: 22 of 33 passes, 308 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
  • Santos' 58-yard field goal with two minutes left effectively decided the game

Williams returns and leads the Bears to victory

Caleb Williams, who missed a month due to injury, played at home for the first time in a long while and delivered a confident performance: 22 successful passes out of 33, 308 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30:24 at Soldier Field and improved to 5-2. It was the team's first home game since the death of legendary former coach Mike Ditka, who passed away earlier this month, according to AFP. 'It was great to be back with the guys, to be out here again in front of our fans,' Williams said.

Course of the game: the Bears pulled ahead twice, the Patriots answered twice

Chicago's defense dominated early: the hosts won the down battle on New England's first drive and twice forced the visitors to punt. Santos opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal, and D'Andre Swift added a touchdown from close range at the end of the first quarter — 10:0. Early in the second quarter, Drake Maye capped a 74-yard touchdown drive with a spectacular run: at first it appeared he had been stopped at the line, but after a challenge, replays showed he had reached the end zone. Chicago responded with ten unanswered points — Santos' second field goal and a touchdown by Luther Burden, 20:7. On the final play of the first half, Maye found Ramondre Stevenson on a 48-yard play, catching the Bears' secondary off guard.

The climax: Santos' record field goal

In the third quarter, Colston Loveland caught a 12-yard pass from Williams — 27:14, but Maye threw his second touchdown pass to Eli Raridon, cutting the deficit to six points (27:21). In the final two minutes, Chicago nearly let the lead slip: Williams was fouled on third down, and Santos faced a long kick. The veteran made it from 58 yards — a career long — extending the lead to nine points and effectively deciding the outcome of the game. The Patriots' final points came on a field goal by Andy Borregales. According to AFP, last season's Super Bowl finalists, the Patriots, dropped to 4-3.