Bears defeat Patriots 30-24 on Drake Maye end-zone interception

The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots 30-24 in a Week 7 Thursday night matchup, improving their record to 5-2 while dropping the Patriots to 4-3. The decisive factor was a second-quarter interception of quarterback Drake Maye in the end zone, which forced New England into a deficit they spent the remainder of the game trying to erase.

Caleb Williams, in his second game back from a hamstring injury, led the Bears' offense with 308 passing yards on 22-of-32 completion and two touchdowns. Coach Ben Johnson managed the clock effectively late in the game, culminating in a career-best 58-yard field goal by Cairo Santos that extinguished the Patriots' final comeback bid. Santos, a former player under Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, added to the margin of victory with his precise kick.

New England almost faced a larger halftime deficit before running back Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 48-yard touchdown run. Maye finished the game with 321 passing yards on 24-of-31 completion, two touchdowns, and the costly turnover. The interception marked his third pass caught in the end zone for an interception this season.

The broadcast featured errors by play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, who described a non-existent Patriots fumble and incorrectly identified Williams and Maye as quarterbacks from the "class of 2014," when both were actually drafted in 2024.

The Patriots will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, providing an opportunity to respond to the loss.