The Patriots travelled to Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday for an 1:00 PM matchup against the Chicago Bears. The Bears have been a surprise this NFL season with quarterback (QB) Mitchell Trubisky hitting his stride in his second season. The 3-2 Bears hoped to upset the 4-2 Patriots in front of the Chicago faithful. The Patriots have been red-hot as of late and put up scores of 38, 38, and 43 points in their last three wins.

The game started fast for the Patriots offense as they marched down 75 yards and scored a touchdown. Chicago rallied with a field goal in their second possession to make the score 7-3. Then came a disaster period for the Patriots. Patriots wide receiver (WR) Cordarrelle Patterson fumbled on a kickoff return, and on their next possession, Patriots running back (RB) Sony Michel fumbled on the third play of the series. Chicago capitalized and scored two quick touchdowns to increase their lead to ten points on the Patriots. Patterson responded on his next kickoff return with an electric 95 yard kickoff return to silence the home crowd. The Patriots scored one more time before the half and walked off the field leading 21-17 over the Bears.

The Bears received the second half kick and marched down to take a 24-21 lead. The Patriots tied the game up with a field goal from Patriots kicker (K) Stephen Gostkowski. The Bears were forced to punt on their next possession and Patriots linebacker (LB) Dont’a Hightower made a terrific play to block it. The blocked punt made it into the hands of LB Kyle Van Noy who returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. In the next two possessions, Trubisky got picked off twice. The Patriots scored a touchdown to capitalize and make it 38-24. The game seemed to be out of the Bears’ reach until Brady got picked off and the Bears narrowed the lead to one touchdown. The last play of the game saw Chicago send a hail mary to the one yard line that got inches from the goalline. The Patriots walked out of Soldier Field with a 38-31 victory and extended their win streak to four games.

The game was a hallmark matchup between two great teams. With the loss, the Bears fall to fourth place in their division despite boasting the second most points scored and least points let up against of the teams in the NFC North. The Patriots move to 5-2 with the win and further solidify their spot at the top of the AFC East division. The win was the first game they have won on the road this year. So far,  they have a record of 1-2 in road games compared to 4-0 at home. They play on the road again next week for an divisional matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Monday, October 29th at 8:15 PM.

Things To Note:

• The game was less than a foot from going into overtime after the Bear’s hail mary was completed near the two yard line.
• The Patriots have averaged almost 40 points a game in the past four games and only given up and average of 25.5 points per contest.
• Patriots rookie running back (RB) Sony Michel went down awkwardly during his second quarter fumble. The hit knocked him out of the game but the Patriot’s are optimistic that he will return in a couple weeks.
• Patriots tight end (TE) Rob Gronkowski skipped the flight to Chicago with back pain. Although this is concerning given his previous back injuries, the Patriots have said he will return to action on Monday against the Bills.
• Mitchell Trubisky posted 333 yards on 52% completion rating. He often overthrew his receivers and made bad decisions in the pocket. His day was highlighted by two long runs to the goal line and on that ended in the end zone.
• The Patriots were penalized seven times for 64 yards. The Bears benefited with four first downs off penalties. These first downs extended the Bear’s drives and helped them score two of the first half scores.