The Chicago Bears are coming off their worst performance of the 2024 season in Week 9, suffering a demoralizing 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in yet another road defeat for head coach Matt Eberflus. At least in Week 10, the Bears will be back at home to face the New England Patriots.
Just a few weeks ago, many believed the Bears (4-4) had begun to find their stride. Caleb Williams seemed to be settling in, and Chicago rattled off three straight wins. However, the last two weeks have been disastrous.
The Bears have essentially allowed the late Hail Mary that cost them the game against the Washington Commanders to snowball into two consecutive losses, once again highlighting their struggles on the road. That’s why they’re likely eager to be back at Soldier Field this weekend—especially with the Patriots (2-7) coming to town.
The Patriots have looked like one of the NFL’s worst teams this season, though they did pull off an upset against the New York Jets two weeks ago. However, they fell short against the Tennessee Titans last weekend, losing 20-17.
This game feels set up as a potential “get-right” opportunity for Chicago—and it couldn’t come at a better time. To keep any hope of a playoff berth alive, and to give Eberflus a chance at keeping his job, the Bears need to get back in the win column against the Patriots. Now, let’s dive into some bold predictions for the Bears versus the Patriots in Week 10.
Caleb Williams throws for over 220 yards and at least two touchdowns
As downtrodden as this Bears team feels right now, Caleb Williams must be the catalyst to help pull them out of their slump. To do so, he’ll need a bounce-back performance that surpasses his last two outings.
After a promising three-week stretch in which he threw for seven touchdowns and completed 74% of his passes, Williams has struggled in his last two games, failing to score and seeing his completion percentage drop to a dismal 47.7%.
All of that will need to improve in Week 10 against the Patriots, who are allowing 224.6 passing yards per game, have conceded 12 passing touchdowns, and are allowing a 66.6% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks.
Bears defense will hold Patriots under 20 points
The Bears had their worst showing of the year last week against the Cardinals, with the defense allowing a season-high 29 points. Before that, their previous high for points allowed was back in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, when they lost 21-16. Surely, facing the struggling Patriots, they have a chance to get back on track.
The Patriots have one of the worst offenses in the NFL and are now led by rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who threw two interceptions last week, including a game-ending one in overtime that handed the Titans the win. New England is averaging just 15.7 points per game, ranking 30th in the league. This feels like a get-right game all around for the Bears, especially for a defense that gave up 21 first-half points to the Cardinals last week.
The Bears rush for over 160 yards against Patriots
When the Bears have struggled most this season, it’s been due to an ineffective ground game. In their three most recent wins, they rushed for over 120 yards each time. Even in their blown game against the Cardinals, they managed a season-high 202 rushing yards.
Against the Patriots—who have allowed 130 or more rushing yards in six of their nine games this season—the Bears are likely to lean heavily on the run. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson could be in for a productive outing, potentially combining for over 160 yards and even a touchdown or two.
Bears get back in the win column, beating Patriots by at least two scores
As noted, this is an ideal time for the Bears to face a team like the Patriots, who may be more focused on the 2025 NFL Draft than on the remainder of this season. Adding to the Bears’ advantage, they’re back home in Chicago—the only place they seem to win under Eberflus.
The big question mark for this game is whether the Bears will come out flat as they did against the Cardinals. Will they continue to let the Commanders’ loss drain the energy from their season? Even Williams alluded to this, expressing doubt that the coaches had truly moved past it last week.
Another point of interest will be Williams’ health. Eberflus and his staff have already faced heavy criticism for leaving their rookie quarterback in last week when the game was well out of hand, leading to Williams limping off the field after an injury. When asked in the postgame press conference, Williams said, “It’s not my decision.”
If the Bears can refocus and look ahead, a win over the Patriots should be more than manageable—and potentially by a wide margin.
