Patriots-Bears Week 10 news and notes

FOXBORO — Drake Maye and the New England Patriots are on the road again this weekend, and will pay a visit to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. The matchup will pit two of the top three quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL Draft against each other.
Williams was taken first overall by Chicago and has been the team’s starting QB from the jump. He’s guided the Bears to a 4-4 record so far this season, throwing nine touchdowns to five interceptions. Williams recently had a great three-game stretch where he completed 74 percent of his passes (going 60-for-81) with seven touchdowns and just one pick in wins over the Rams, Panthers, and Jaguars. 
But he’s struggled the last two games, completing just 33 of his 65 passes (51 percent) with no touchdowns. The Bears lost both of those games, including Williams’ matchup with No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, who did something incredible at the end of his game against Chicago. 
Now Williams will be squaring off with Maye, who unlike Williams, had to wait a few games before getting the keys to his team. Maye has given the Patriots a huge spark on offense thanks to his athletic running ability, but he hasn’t lit it up as a passer just yet. You can blame New England’s lack of firepower in the receiving corps for that, though Maye threw a pair of bad interceptions in last week’s loss to the Titans.
Both Maye and Williams can make things happen through the air and with their legs, but Williams has a pretty solid collection of talent around him. It’s headlined by rookie receiver Rome Odunze (25 receptions for 391 yards and a touchdown), DJ Moore (37 receptions, three touchdowns), tight end Cole Kmet (30 receptions, three touchdowns), and running back D’Andre Swift (averaging 4.0 yards per carry with four rushing touchdowns). 
The Bears offense, however, isn’t all that great overall. Chicago ranks 28th in the NFL in total offense at 294.6 yards per game, and 19th at 21.5 points per contest. 
Both of those stats are, of course, better than what the New England offense has done this season. The Patriots are last in the league at 264.8 offensive yards per game and 30th at 15.7 points per contest.
At least both of the quarterbacks are a good reason to watch this Sunday’s game.
On Wednesday, Maye said that he’s been friends with Williams since high school and that the two attended some of the same football camps. He’s looking forward to the matchup, and said that a play is never over with Williams and his ability to buy time in and out of the pocket.
“We’re friends and I enjoyed watching him do his thing, and now we get to compete,” Maye said Wednesday. “Anytime you go against a quarterback in your class, it’s a little extra. Looking forward to getting out there and playing the Bears.
“We never played each other, so this will be cool,” Maye added.
“I’ve known him for a while. Good guy, country dude and a competitor,” Williams said of Maye on Wednesday. “His game is exactly what you saw in college. He’s explosive, accurate. He’s a tall, strong figure back in the pocket and he makes plays for his team.”
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s Patriots-Bears matchup in Chicago:
We’ll get you ready for this weekend’s Patriots-Bears showdown Sunday morning with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. (which you can also stream on CBSBoston.com), and switch to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!