Bears score 23 unanswered points to beat Patriots 33-14

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- After the New England Patriots replaced starting backmost Mac Jones with Bailey Zappe successful the archetypal half, it looked similar they were going to marque things hard for the Chicago Bears with a brace of speedy second-quarter touchdowns.

However, backmost Justin Fields past led the Bears to 23 unanswered points, arsenic Chicago ran distant with a 33-14 victory.

Both the Bears and Patriots caput into Week 8 sporting identical 3-4 records.

Chicago Bears

Weather games are the Bears' forte. They opened the play successful a deluge and bushed the San Francisco 49ers. Monday, against the Patriots, slick turf and dense fog hanging implicit Gillette Stadium were nary origin en way to a 33-14 win.

The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with 10 days successful betwixt games. Chicago coaches promised unit changes and strategy adjustments during the mini-bye week and delivered. Justin Fields energized the discourtesy with his rushing ability, and not successful emblematic fashion. Designed runs -- not scrambles -- were the Bears' limb of prime for their second-year quarterback. The 33 points Chicago scored successful Week 7 were the astir successful a crippled with Fields starting.

General manager Ryan Poles held an impromptu quality conference hours earlier kickoff to code the authorities of the Bears nearing the midway constituent of the season. His message? This squad mightiness beryllium young, but the Bears request to larn however to decorativeness games aft coming adjacent during their archetypal six games. Chicago's triumph connected "Monday Night Football" is simply a measurement successful the close absorption for a motivated, well-coached group.

QB breakdown: Chicago's crippled program was simple: get Fields connected the move. By the extremity of the archetypal half, Fields had the astir rushes (12) and rushing yards (55) connected designed runs for a crippled successful his career, which included a 3-yard touchdown run. Utilizing their quarterback's biggest plus -- his legs -- was a payment for the Bears and helped Chicago people connected 5 consecutive drives, which is tied for its longest streak successful the past 4 seasons. Fields finished with a team-high 82 rushing yards and went 13-of-21 for 179 yards, a touchdown and an interception. This was the astir comfy Fields has looked each season. He was patient, waited for plays to make and went done his progressions successful ways helium hadn't earlier this season. Monday's triumph is thing the 23-year-old backmost tin physique on.

Eye-popping stat: Fields is 1 of 2 players successful the past 30 seasons to person much than 100 passing yards and 70 rushing yards on with astatine slightest 1 passing and rushing touchdown successful an opening half, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The past subordinate to bash truthful was Russell Wilson successful 2014.

Promising trend: The adjustments the Bears made -- some successful unit and strategy -- pursuing their Week 6 nonaccomplishment to Washington paid off. Designed runs, RPOs, speedy throws and an uptick successful pre-snap question (their highest usage successful a crippled each season) helped Chicago found the code connected offense. The Bears went 11-of-17 connected 3rd down, conscionable shy of the astir third-down conversions allowed by a Bill Belichick defense. There were moving pockets for Fields, which helped him debar unit successful ways helium hadn't been capable to previously. After not being targeted against the Commanders, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown led the squad with 7 targets and churned retired 4 receptions for 48 yards. The alteration astatine punt returner with Dante Pettis taking implicit for Velus Jones Jr. yielded a 27-yard return, Chicago's longest of the season.

Buy/sell connected a breakout performance: The Bears received disapproval for taking antiaircraft backs with their apical 2 draught picks alternatively of addressing needs astatine wide receiver and connected the violative line, a determination Poles defended connected Monday. Both of their apical rookies -- cornerback Kyler Gordon and information Jaquan Brisker -- came distant with interceptions successful Chicago's archetypal triumph successful Foxborough. The Bears' secondary is successful bully hands for years to come.

Next game: astatine Cowboys (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)

New England Patriots

Do the New England Patriots person a backmost controversy? Mac Jones' instrumentality from a precocious near ankle sprain didn't spell arsenic planned, and rookie Bailey Zappe provided the discourtesy a spark erstwhile helium entered the crippled successful the 2nd 4th earlier fizzling retired successful the 2nd half.

Coach Bill Belichick told ESPN sideline newsman Lisa Salters that the program entering the crippled was to play some quarterbacks. Jones played the archetypal 3 series, throwing his sixth interception of the play to extremity his 3rd drive. The walk hung successful the aerial and the restless location assemblage began chanting "Zappe! Zappe! Zappe!"

Jones finished 3-of-6 for 13 yards and the pick, portion Zappe was 14-of-22 for 185 yards, with a touchdown, 2 interceptions and a mislaid fumble.

Biggest spread successful the crippled plan: Accounting for backmost Justin Fields arsenic a runner. The defense, which had been stout successful wins implicit the Lions and Browns, showed unexpected vulnerability and struggled to get disconnected blocks throughout. Fields, who besides wounded the Patriots with his limb aft buying other time, rushed 10 times for 74 yards and a touchdown successful the archetypal half. It was the astir rushing yards the Patriots person allowed to a backmost successful a fractional successful Belichick's tenure (2000-present). The Bears called designed runs for Fields 9 times successful the archetypal half.

Under-the-radar stat that matters: The Patriots' defence couldn't get disconnected the tract connected 3rd down, allowing 11 conversions connected 3rd down, arsenic the Bears built a 33-14 pb aboriginal successful the 4th quarter.

Describe the crippled successful 2 words: Blown out. The Bears came into the Patriots' location stadium and powered done them with unexpected ease.

Troubling trend: Left tackle Trent Brown was called for 4 penalties, 3 of which came wrong the team's archetypal 2 drives. He was called for holding twice, a mendacious commencement and tripping. Starting close tackle Isaiah Wynn, who was inactive owed to a enarthrosis injury, had entered the time with 8 penalties connected the season.

Next game: astatine Jets (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)