The Week 7 slate of NFL games kicks off Thursday with a battle between two of the best quarterbacks from the 2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.
This is as good as it gets in a head-to-head QB battle, folks.
Williams is coming off a strong performance against the Atlanta Falcons. He threw for 305 yards, tossed tight end Colston Loveland his first touchdown, and led the team to a 31-23 win at Soldier Field South Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Meanwhile, Maye comes off a win against the New York Jets. Maye completed just 56.3 percent of his passes (18-for-32) against the Jets, but threw three touchdowns and posted a 110.8 passer rating. He wasn’t sacked, nor did he throw an interception.
This is what Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson had to say about preparing for Drake Maye:
“It’s a dangerous combination of a guy that’s an elite deep ball thrower, along with he can crush you with his legs. And I think that combination is deadly, and it’s really picked up steam over these last three games. You can see that their offense is putting up points in bunches right now. Three-game winning streak and a ton of explosive plays throughout. And so, when you look at it that way, he’s a big challenge.”
For more from the Bears head coach, you can watch the video below:
Drake Maye Has ‘Deadly Combination’ Working For Him, Says Bears Coach
Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson isn’t kidding. That Patriots offense is on fire right now. Since suffering a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, the Patriots have averaged 33.3 points per game. As you might expect, Maye is in the middle of it all. He has thrown 10 touchdowns against just 1 interception during that stretch. I’m already annoyed that Maye is heating up just in time to face Chicago’s defense.
To be clear, it isn’t just Drake Maye. His offensive coordinator, former Bears head coaching candidate Josh McDaniels, is up to his old tricks again in New England.
“Josh McDaniels does a great job just making sure he puts those guys in the right spots,” Johnson said. “Even if they’re down some O-linemen, he’ll do a great job making sure he has that in mind and showcases what the rest of their guys can do.”
Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) and New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) react after the game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn ImagesDrake Maye’s most recent stat lines stopped me in my tracks because they starkly contrasted with his ice-cold start in 2026.
In his first three games, Maye completed just 63.8 percent of his passes, threw more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (1), and posted a woeful 58.6 passer rating. Those aren’t the kinds of numbers you’d expect from a player who was the NFL MVP runner-up last season. Perhaps positive regression was always coming for Maye, who has a 119.3 passer rating and a 10-to-1 TD-INT ratio in his last three games. Again, I’m annoyed that he is getting into a groove just before playing the Bears.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS INJURY REPORT — OCT. 20, 2026
The chess match between the Drake Maye-Josh McDaniels tag team and Bears Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen has the makings of a marquee matchup. Allen has given young quarterbacks fits over the years. His most recent game, in which Chicago unleashed cornerback Kyler Gordon, should give the Pats some extra things to think about going into this game. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds at Soldier Field.
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