Mandatory Credit: Photo by Steven Senne/AP/Shutterstock (13492888t) Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert (24) celebrates on his touchdown against the New England Patriots during the first half of an NFL football game, in Foxborough, Mass Bears Patriots Football, Foxborough, United States – 24 Oct 2022
Monday Night Football Recap: Bears crash Belichick’s party, run over Patriots 33-14
Bears 33, Patriots 14
Fans in Foxborough came ready to celebrate Monday night at rainy Gillette Stadium, knowing that longtime head coach Bill Belichick was a win away from passing George Halas to move into second place alone on the all-time wins list. The Chicago Bears, the franchise Halas helped found, were appropriately the opponent – but Chicago’s extra rest and hunger to get back in the win column showed up in the early going and carried them to a blowout win on the road.
Chicago opened the scoring with a field goal on their first drive and extended their surprising early lead to 10-0 on Justin Fields’ three-yard touchdown run. New England’s offense struggled over their first two drives, and chants for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe from the Patriots’ faithful increased in volume as the first quarter went along. After Mac Jones threw his sixth interception of the season on their third drive to kill a scoring opportunity, fans got their wish as Bill Belichick made a change at quarterback.
Bailey Zappe responded with an efficient drive, capping it off with a 30-yard touchdown throw to Jakobi Meyers to pull within three in the second quarter. New England continued to push momentum in their favor with a tipped pass interception to thwart Chicago’s next drive. Bailey Zappe would then complete a deep pass into Bears’ territory to set up a first down and goal on the next play. Rhamondre Stevenson would punch in a touchdown run moments later, and New England led 14-10 with just over six minutes to play in the half. Justin Fields responded with a strong drive on the ensuing possession for Chicago, finding Khalil Herbert in space for a 25-yard touchdown catch to make it 17-14 with less than two minutes before halftime. New England promptly fumbled in their own territory just 20 seconds later, allowing the Bears to set up a Cairo Santos field goal before the break to make it 20-14.
The Bears continued to find ways to score in the third quarter, converting field goals on each of their first two possessions of the half to make it 26-14. They’d run in another score on their first drive of the fourth, this one a touchdown by David Montgomery to extend their lead to 33-14. Roquan Smith all but iced the Bears’ win on the Patriots’ next drive, intercepting Bailey Zappe on a tipped pass to give Chicago possession with eight minutes left. Chicago intercepted Zappe again to add insult to injury with 2:40 left and took a knee at the Patriots’ two-yard line to put them out of their misery in the final seconds. Chicago’s dominant win moves them to 3-4, tying them with Green Bay for second place in the NFC North and keeping them in the thick of playoff conversations while the surprising loss sends New England back below .500 at 3-4 themselves.
Next Week: Chicago: at Dallas, New England: at New York (A)