NFL Week 7 kicked off Thursday night with the New England Patriots on the road at the Chicago Bears. In a matchup between two elite young quarterbacks, the Bears had the upper hand at home and won 30-24.
Patriots QB Drake Maye had a great day, going 24-for-31 passing with 321 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Bears QB Caleb Williams was just as good if not better, going 22-for-33 with 308 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Both players had to deal with good pressure from the opposing defensive line, but there was one instance where the Patriots were tagged with a penalty. In the second quarter, rookie defensive end Gabe Jacas collided with Williams long after the ball was out.
Rate the Refs on X posted different angles of the play, and they will likely serve the NFL to dole out some punishment decision. The league continues to be quite stingy with handing out fines this season.
It will take some time for the league to review the play, but Jacas was visibly nudged by the left tackle Ozzy Trapilo. That will certainly lessen a potential financial penalty for the rookie as the collision did not seem intentional.
Fortunately, both players were unharmed. Williams took three sacks on the day, losing 19 yards. Maye was sacked twice and lost 11 yards, but did take six total hits during the game.
Thursday night games are admittedly not as smooth due to teams having less time to prepare, but there should be no doubt about how good both of these QBs are. They will have many fun matchups throughout their careers.
Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
For the Patriots (4-3), they will head to Miami to face the Dolphins after some extended time off in Week 8. The Dolphins are 0-6 before Week 7, although the Patriots have had trouble playing there even dating back to Tom Brady.
For the Bears (5-2), they will face a tough challenge next Monday night at the Seattle Seahawks. They are 3-3 entering Week 7 but still maintain one of the NFL’s best defenses. That could prove to be a litmus test for this Bears team.
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