Maye Throws for 321, Stevenson Steals a Half, and the Patriots Still Lose 30-24 in Chicago

Round 2 of Drake Maye vs. Caleb Williams went to Chicago. The Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 on Thursday night at Soldier Field, snapping New England's three-game win streak and dropping the Patriots to 4-3. The Bears are 5-2.

Let's be clear about what Maye did, because the score hides it. He went 24 for 31 for 321 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception, and he ran one in himself. Williams went 22 for 33 for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Both quarterbacks cleared 300. Only one of them got to walk off happy.

It started ugly. Burden took a laser over the middle 58 yards late in the first quarter, D'Andre Swift ran it in from 4 yards out on the next play, and the Patriots were down 10-0. The Globe pinned the early hole on uninspiring play calling and no ability to stretch the field. At halftime, New England's wide receivers had three catches combined. Three. A.J. Brown had one.

Maye got them on the board early in the second with a 7-yard scramble, stretching just enough of the ball over the goal line to make it 10-7. "I probably shouldn't have reached, I know the coaches will be on me about that," he said. Fair. Also, it counted.

Then came the killer sequence. Driving for the lead with 3:25 left in the half, Maye tried to hit rookie tight end Eli Raridon over the middle in the end zone, underthrew him, and D'Marco Jackson picked it off. The Globe, citing ESPN, said it was Maye's third interception on an end-zone throw this season, and he's the only quarterback with more than one. Chicago turned around and Luther Burden III took a third-and-17 for a 24-yard touchdown with 14 seconds left. Burden had four catches for 130 yards in the first half alone. Third-and-17. Somebody explain that to me slowly.

Then the play everybody will remember. Three seconds left, ball at the Chicago 48, Maye lofted a screen to Rhamondre Stevenson, DeMario Douglas threw a block that took out a couple of guys, and Stevenson went 48 yards as time expired. A 20-7 hole became a one-score game. Maye said they've practiced that play since OTAs. "It's how you draw it up," he said.

Chicago answered right out of the break with a nine-play, 72-yard drive and a 12-yard touchdown to Colston Loveland, who broke a Marcus Jones tackle on the way in and finished with seven catches for 69 yards. The Patriots came back with a nine-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 30-yard strike to Raridon, who beat linebacker Devin Bush in man coverage, to make it 27-21.

That end-zone pick is the throw Maye couldn't shake. "I wish I definitely could have that one back," he said. Mike Vrabel said he knows Maye wants it back too, and added: "I'm glad he's ours."

Late, Christian Barmore sacked Williams on third-and-5 with 1:46 left, and it looked like Chicago would have to punt. Cairo Santos, who had already clanked a 53-yarder off the right upright, stepped up and drilled a 58-yard field goal with 1:39 left. It was his career long and the third-longest field goal ever at Soldier Field, the Globe reported. Santos used to kick for Vrabel. "Unfortunately, I didn't want him to make it tonight," Vrabel said. "I don't know how you get out-executed when a guy makes a 58-yard field goal."

Andy Borregales hit a 47-yarder with 37 seconds left to make it 30-24. Rome Odunze recovered the onside kick. Game.

Vrabel didn't sugarcoat the tackling. "Tackling wasn't good enough tonight. Not against this team," he said. He also said the run game wasn't there, and when asked about a flag on Will Campbell he said, "I'm not in very good favor with the officiating department, so I probably shouldn't say anything." The Globe noted New England played with third-stringers on the offensive line and thin depth at receiver and corner. Right guard Matt Pryor, in because of the injuries up front, was flagged for a false start on a fourth-down try early in the fourth quarter.

Dez's take: this is the kind of loss you can live with and still be mad about. A short week, a road game, a banged-up line, and the young quarterback still put up 321 and nearly dragged them back. But you don't get to say "we fought" when you turned it over in the end zone and let a third-and-17 go for six. Maye said it himself: two chances with the ball down 27-21, and nothing. That's the part to fix.

The Patriots get a mini-bye and play next on Nov. 1 at Miami at 4:25 p.m.