Bears Beat Patriots 30-24 on Thursday Night Football: Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland Score as A.J. Brown Disappears Again

The Chicago Bears held off the New England Patriots 30-24 at Soldier Field on Thursday night, snapping New England's three-game winning streak and moving Chicago to 5-2. Caleb Williams completed 22 of 33 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, and Drake Maye answered with 321 yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score on 24-of-31 passing. Both quarterbacks delivered for fantasy managers. Several of the skill players around them did not, and that is where the Week 8 decisions start.

The Patriots, now 4-3, had one last chance after Andy Borregales hit a 47-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to make it a one-score game. Rome Odunze recovered the onside kick, and Chicago ran out the clock.

How the game was won

Chicago scored first and never trailed. D'Andre Swift made it 10-0 with a 4-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Luther Burden III caught a 24-yard touchdown just before halftime, and second-year tight end Colston Loveland added a 12-yard score in the third quarter. Kicker Cairo Santos supplied the rest, including a clutch late field goal that kept New England chasing.

New England's scoring came from Maye in three different ways: a rushing touchdown, a touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson and a 30-yard strike to rookie tight end Eli Raridon in the third quarter that cut the deficit. The drive that hurt most ended in the end zone the other way. Maye underthrew a pass toward Raridon and linebacker D'Marco Jackson picked it off, turning a promising possession into no points. In a six-point loss, that throw was the difference.

The Patriots also played short-handed. New England ruled out both starting guards, Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) and Ben Brown (knee), along with cornerbacks Carlton Davis III (neck), Karon Prunty and Channing Canada (both hamstring). Chicago was without running back Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) again.

The fantasy box score

Here is how the key fantasy names finished, using figures confirmed in game recaps.

Bears fallout: Burden is forcing the issue

Burden was the most explosive player on the field. Four catches for 130 yards is a ceiling game, and it came with a touchdown. The second-year receiver has been pushing for a bigger role all season, and a game like this makes it harder for the coaching staff to keep him in a rotational role. In fantasy terms he moves from a desperation flex into the WR3 conversation, with the caveat that four catches is a thin volume base. He is the kind of player who wins a week and then disappears the next, so roster him with that variance in mind.

Odunze's line looks modest, but context matters. Three of his four catches went for 21 yards each, two of them on the critical fourth-quarter drives, and he was the player the Bears trusted on the hands team at the end. He remains Chicago's most reliable receiver.

Swift's 22 carries are the headline for running back managers. With Monangai out, Swift handled the backfield almost alone, and while 78 yards on 22 carries is only 3.5 yards per attempt, the touchdown and the touches make him a solid RB2 for as long as Monangai is sidelined. Watch Monangai's practice participation next week: his return would cut into this workload.

Loveland's touchdown is another sign the 2025 first-round pick is carving out a red-zone role. He is a streaming option at a thin position rather than a weekly starter for now.

Patriots fallout: the A.J. Brown problem

The concern in New England is A.J. Brown. Local coverage described him as a non-factor again, and the theory gaining traction is that he is either rusty or not fully healthy. Fantasy managers who drafted him as a WR1 have now waited several weeks for a ceiling game that has not come, while Maye spread the ball to Stevenson, Raridon and the rest of the room. Brown is still a hold because Maye is playing at a high level and the talent has not vanished, but he should not be a locked-in starter in 10-team leagues until he produces.

The running game is the other worry. TreVeyon Henderson has struggled to find lanes, and the big plays from his rookie season have mostly dried up. Coach Mike Vrabel expressed confidence in him after the game, but Corey Kiner could keep earning carries. Stevenson's receiving touchdown is a reminder that he still has a role, which makes this a backfield to avoid in fantasy rather than one to chase.

Raridon is the speculative add. The third-round rookie caught a 30-yard touchdown and was the target on the end-zone interception, which means Maye looks for him in big moments. In deeper leagues he is worth a waiver claim.

The Verdexed angle

Maye's floor is the most bankable takeaway. He produced through the air and on the ground behind a line missing both starting guards, which is exactly the profile that wins weeks in fantasy. The Bears' passing game, meanwhile, showed it can beat a good defense deep, which should change how bettors price Chicago totals going forward. For how the model rates both teams next week, see the NFL predictions page and the weekly picks piece when it posts.

What to do in your league

Start: Maye and Williams as QB1s next week; Swift as an RB2 while Monangai is out. Add: Burden in leagues where he is still available, and Raridon in deep or tight end premium formats. Hold: A.J. Brown, but bench him if you have a reliable alternative. Avoid: the Patriots' backfield until a lead back emerges. Both teams now get extra rest after the Thursday game, which gives New England time to get its guards back before the next kickoff.