Drake Maye gets the better of Caleb Williams as sack-happy Patriots beat Bears 19-3

CHICAGO -- The New England Patriots had Caleb Williams on the run and his receivers locked down right from the start.

Drake Maye enjoyed watching his defense shut down the Chicago Bears and their prized quarterback. And he'll take the win that came with it.

Maye got the better of Williams in a matchup between top rookie quarterbacks and New England beat struggling Chicago 19-3 on Sunday.

Maye led five scoring drives and the Patriots sacked Williams a season-high nine times, helping New England (3-7) come away with the win after losing seven of eight.

“It's kind of a good taste of what it looked like for me in training camp,” Maye said. “They get after you.”

As if losing at Washington on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels two weeks ago and then falling flat at Arizona last week wasn’t enough, things took another bad turn for the Bears (4-5).

They managed just 142 yards and were 1 of 14 on third downs facing a team that came in tied with six others for the worst record in the NFL. It got so bad that fans started calling for coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal in the closing minutes, chanting “Fire ‘Flus!”

“I do believe in those guys,” Eberflus said. “They have faith in us working together. I believe in our football team. I believe in the leaders of the football team and we’ll just have to get back to work.”

Chicago is 14-29 in 2 1/2 seasons under Eberflus. Something clearly needs to change, and along those lines, the coach said the Bears are considering stripping play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Williams insisted he still has confidence in Eberflus and the Bears aren't giving up on the season.

“We know how good we are, we know how good we can be,” Williams said. “And right now we’re not executing, we’re not hitting on cylinders and we have all the confidence in each other, to be honest with you.”

Maye didn’t exactly light it up. The No. 3 overall draft pick was 15 of 25 for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Williams, the top pick, struggled in his third straight game. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California was 16 of 30 for 120 yards, as the Bears’ eight-game win streak at Soldier Field ended.

The schedule is about to take a tougher turn for the Bears with six of their final eight games against the NFC North, starting with Green Bay’s visit next week.

“Lose three straight, it definitely snowballs,” safety Kevin Byard said. “It’s not a great feeling. It’s something we didn’t plan to do. It’s not something we expect, but it’s the situation we’re in and we’ve got to find a way out of it.”

Anfernee Jennings and Deatrich Wise each had two sacks for New England, and Joey Slye kicked four field goals.

“Really, it's a testament to us playing together," Wise said. “We couldn't have had any of those plays without our DBs shutting down two really good receivers and tight ends. It was a complete defensive effort and then really, overall, a big team effort, just playing our ball.”

The Patriots led 13-3 at halftime after scoring 10 points in the final 1:46.

Maye threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, and Slye kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to send New England to the locker room with a 10-point lead. Fans showered the Bears with boos after watching their team manage just 87 yards and go 0 for 6 on third downs.

Chicago had prime opportunities on each of its first three possessions, only to come away empty-handed.

The Bears went three-and-out on their first drive after DeAndre Carter returned a punt 38 yards to New England's 47.

After Slye kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead, Chicago drove to the New England 31. But the Bears got knocked out of field goal range on third down when Williams hung onto the ball rather than throw it away and took an 8-yard sack by Wise.

Chicago's T.J. Edwards then intercepted Maye near midfield, but the Bears went three and out again. They tied it midway through the second quarter, settling for a field goal by Cairo Santos after stalling at the 14.

Patriots: Wise was helped off the field in the final minute. ... DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) and CB Marcellas Dial Jr. (head) were injured.

Bears: LG Teven Jenkins (ankle) left early in the second quarter. He was helped to the sideline after he was hurt blocking on a fourth-down scramble by Williams. Doug Kramer replaced him. ... Special teamer Tarvarius Moore (concussion) left.

Patriots: Host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Bears: Host Green Bay on Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL