Week 7 opens on Thursday, Oct. 22, when the New England Patriots (4-2) visit the Chicago Bears (4-2) at Soldier Field. Kickoff is 8:15 pm ET, which is 7:15 pm in Chicago and 3:15 am Friday in Cairo. The game streams on Prime Video.
How to watch
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Kickoff | Thursday, Oct. 22, 8:15 pm ET (7:15 pm CT); Friday 3:15 am in Cairo |
| Stadium | Soldier Field, Chicago |
| Streaming | Prime Video, with a Spanish-language stream; also on Twitch |
| Local TV | Over-the-air stations in the Boston and Chicago markets |
| Phones and tablets | NFL+ in the U.S. |
| Pregame | TNF Tonight, 7 pm ET (2 am Friday in Cairo) |
Al Michaels has the play-by-play with Kirk Herbstreit as analyst and Kaylee Hartung on the sideline. Charissa Thompson hosts the studio show alongside Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman.
Maye and Williams, take two
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, the first and third picks of the 2024 draft, meet for the second time. The first was a 19-3 New England win at Soldier Field in November 2024, when both were rookies and Williams was sacked nine times. Both sidelines have changed since: Mike Vrabel now coaches the Patriots and Ben Johnson the Bears.
How they got here
New England has won three straight since a 35-6 loss at Jacksonville in Week 3: 29-26 at Buffalo, 45-17 over Las Vegas and 26-19 over the New York Jets on Sunday. Maye threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets and was not sacked. He has 1,463 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season.
Chicago won 31-23 in Atlanta on Sunday in Williams’ first game back after a torn hamstring cost him three games. He completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, D’Andre Swift ran for two scores and the Bears held the ball for 40:08. Kyler Gordon added three sacks in his return.
A four-day turnaround
Both teams played on Sunday afternoon, so neither gets more than three full days to prepare. That hurts New England most up front. Guards Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and Ben Brown (knee) were estimated as non-participants on Monday, and right tackle Morgan Moses (foot) was limited. Receiver Romeo Doubs went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury after catching a 42-yard touchdown against the Jets.
“It’s a short week. So whether they can make it back or not, I don’t know,” Vrabel said of his injured starters. “We’ll just have to figure out who we have available and find 48 to put out there.”
For Chicago, guard Jonah Jackson (hip, quadricep) did not take part in Monday’s estimated session, while Williams is off the report entirely. Every listing is in our Bears-Patriots injury report.
The numbers
- Chicago is a three-point favorite, with the total at 50.5 points.
- Swift leads the Bears with 398 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and Luther Burden III leads them with 361 receiving yards.
- Doubs’ 261 receiving yards still lead New England, so his absence takes away Maye’s top target by yardage. Rhamondre Stevenson leads the Patriots with 263 rushing yards.
- Williams has 712 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his three starts.
What comes next
The Bears go from one standalone game to another. After Thursday they get 11 days before visiting Seattle on Monday night, Nov. 2, at 8:15 pm ET (3:15 am Tuesday in Cairo). The Patriots go back to Sunday afternoon at Miami on Nov. 1 at 4:25 pm ET on CBS.
The rest of Week 7 includes Pittsburgh and New Orleans at Stade de France on Sunday morning, Kansas City at Seattle on Sunday night and Dallas at Philadelphia on Monday night. The full slate is in our Week 7 schedule.
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