Bears 33, Patriots 14: Can Bailey Zappe — or maybe Mac Jones — spark New England to a fourth-quarter rally?
Bears #Bears
On a night where the spotlight was on the Patriots’ quarterback situation — would it be Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe? — it was the Bears quarterback who stole the show.
Justin Fields was tremendous, going 13-of-21 for 179 yards and a TD, to help guide Chicago to a 33-14 win over New England on Monday night at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots drop to 3-4, and will face the 5-2 Jets on the road next week.
Zappe relieved an ineffective Jones in the first half. (Read more about that here.) He finished 14-of-22, throwing for 185 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
After missing the past three games with an ankle injury, Jones got the start. He made it only part of the way through the second quarter before he was yanked in favor of Zappe.
Jones was 3-for-6 for 13 yards and an interception as the Bears jumped to a 10-0 lead.
The rookie Zappe instantly delivered a boost, leading the Patriots to a pair of back-to-back scoring drives — one that ended in spectacular fashion on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers — to make it 14-10.
But a familiar weakness again reared its head.
New England allowed 10 points in the last two minutes of the first half. The Patriots, who have allowed touchdowns inside of two minutes at the end of the first half in three games — all losses — went from a 14-10 lead to a 20-14 deficit in a blink.
New England didn’t score the rest of the night.
Chicago controlled all three phases down the stretch. Fields guided the Bears on three straight scoring drives to open the second half, stretching the lead from 20-14 to 33-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots were unable to generate any sort of positives. The Bears ended up going 11-for-18 on third down, rolling over the New England defense without much pushback.
As for the offense, the Patriots didn’t get anywhere near the end zone, ending up with a scoreless second half for the first time all season.
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Shaughnessy: Our eyes seem to have played tricks on us — 11:25 p.m.
For a couple of minutes in the second quarter, it was Zappe Magic, and it almost felt like 21 years ago when young Tom Brady came out of nowhere and took the quarterback job from Drew Bledsoe.
In the first half in front of a prime-time “Monday Night Football” audience against the Bears, Mr. Mac Jones was Wally Pipped by Bailey Zappe’s Lou Gehrig (Zappe even wears no. 4). Zappe was Elvis. He was Rudy — with talent.
But the center would not hold (that was left to left tackle Trent Brown).
At the end of the “Monday Night Football” show, the Patriots were 33-14 losers, Bill Belichick was still tied with Papa Bear Halas (324 wins) for second place on the all-time victory list, and poor Mac was spitting out pieces of his broken luck — wondering what he did to offend the football gods.
Read the rest of Dan Shaughnessy’s column here.
Up next: The Jets — 11:20 p.m.
The Patriots will travel to face the 5-2 New York Jets in East Rutherford on Sunday.
The Patriots have been favored in 20 straight games over the Jets. Betting odds opened on Sunday with New England as just a 1-point favorite.
Patriots lose — 11:10 p.m.
The Patriots drop to 3-4, and will face the 5-2 Jets on the road next week.
A second Zappe interception — 11:05 p.m.
Zappe tried to find rookie Tyquan Thornton, but the Bears’ Kyler Gordon was there instead.
That’s four turnovers for the Patriots. 2:33 to play.
David Andrews in the locker room, Mike Pennel ejected — 11:04 p.m.
The Bears’ Mike Pennel was ejected for an illegal blindside block on David Andrews on the same play Zappe threw the interception.
Andrews is being evaluated in the locker room for a head injury.
That’s just the second punt by the Bears tonight — 11:00 p.m.
With 4:33 left in the game, it seems unlikely the Patriots can make up this 19-point gap.
Bailey Zappe throws an INT — 10:53 p.m.
Roquan Smith grabs a Bailey Zappe pass that was tipped.
It looks like center David Andrews was banged up on the play.
The Bears take over at their own 37.
Will that do it? Probably.
Cole Strange called for first penalty of the year — 10:51 p.m.
The rookie from Chattanooga has been sharp all season.
Eek … it’s another Bears TD — 10:43 p.m.
Bears 33, Patriots 14 | 12:13, fourth quarter
The drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 4:48.
That’s 23 unanswered points for Chicago. The Bears and Justin Fields are putting on a clinic here in the second half. Fields just engineered another scoring drive, leading the Bears on an eight-play, 39-yard drive that ended with a David Montgomery touchdown to make it 33-14 with 12:13 to go in regulation.
You never say never, but this is pretty close to being over. Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Patriots.
End of third quarter: Bears 26, Patriots 14 — 10:38 p.m.
End of the third quarter, and the Bears lead 26-14.
Bailey Zappe: 7-10, 127 yards, 1 TD
Mac Jones: 3 carries, 24 yards
DeVante Parker: 2 catches, 55 yards
Three things we’re seeing — 10:33 p.m.
· Trent Brown is just having a brutal night. He has now taken four penalties (one offsetting), the latest for tripping at the start of the Patriots’ most recent offensive drive.
· The New England offense is stuck: no rhythm, no flow. They’re forced to punt the ball away, and Chicago’s Dante Pettis delivered an impressive return. The Bears will start on the New England 39.
· Maybe this is the time when you go back to Mac Jones? Belichick did indicate the both quarterbacks would play in the second half, and this would seem to be a good time to try and jolt the offense with a return to Jones.
Another FG for the Bears — 10:24 p.m.
Bears 26, Patriots 14 | 3:50, third quarter
The Bears finished another drive with a field goal — New England actually got a third-down stop. (It’s 26-14 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.)
Even with that stop, third-down issues continue to plague the New England defense — Chicago is a gaudy 9-for-14 on third down this evening, maybe the most telling stat.
We’re getting to a point where New England can’t afford to yield that many more points. The Patriots were averaging 23.5 points per game coming into tonight’s action.
Also, Adrian Phillips was injured on that drive. You stack that injury on top of Kyle Dugger’s ankle issue, and the safety position has taken some hits.
Tough night for the Pats’ D — 10:20 p.m.
Pats forced to punt again — 10:16 p.m.
Ineffective possession there for the Patriots, who were forced to punt it away for the third time tonight.
Chicago will get the ball back at its own 25-yard line with 8:17 to go in the third quarter.
Feels like New England needs a turnover or quick three-and-out to regain some of the momentum it lost at the end of the first half and start of the second half.
Dugger questionable to return — 10:14 p.m.
Safety Klye Dugger, who was banged up early in the third quarter and went into the sideline medical tent, is questionable to return with an ankle injury.
Bears score again — 10:06 p.m.
Bears 23, Patriots 14 | 9:47, third quarter
A good drive there for the Bears, one that ended with as 38-yard field goal from Cairo Santos to make it 23-14 with 9:47 to go in the third quarter. It’s the third consecutive scoring drive for the Chicago offense.
Kyle Dugger went to the medical tent after the first play of the Chicago drive at the start of the second half.
Matthew Judon continues to be all over the place. The best defensive player on the field tonight.
Bill Belichick says both QBs will play in second half — 10:03 p.m.
Bill Belichick told ESPN at halftime that when it comes to the quarterback situation, “they will both play in the second half.” Interesting.
Nine things to note at the half — 9:55 p.m.
· Where do we start?
After not being finding any offensive rhythm through much of the first quarter, the Patriots found a groove early in the second. How much of it had to do with the switch out at quarterback? You can’t deny that Bailey Zappe’s presence delivered a jolt for the Patriots. That touchdown pass to Meyers was one of the great moments of the season so far.
We’ll see if New England is able to maintain the momentum through the second half. But the presence of Zappe out there delivered a shock to the system, and left the Chicago defense momentarily reeling.
· The key to New England’s success over the last few weeks has been good complementary football — the offense, defense, and special teams working together to set Zappe, in particular, up for success. They didn’t have that for most of the first quarter. The blame will land at Mac Jones’s feet — that’s life in the big city — and he does bear the burden for some bad decisions, namely the interception. But there was plenty of culpability to go around. You can start with the penalties on Trent Brown and the inability of the defense to contain Justin Fields.
· That complementary game seemed to return in the second quarter when a Matt Judon sack forced a punt. That was followed up by a Myles Bryant interception after a Judon tipped ball. Zappe responded on both occasions with scoring drives (of 50 yards and 55 yards) to give New England a 14-10 lead. Zappe has made all the throws but he’s also been set up for success by the defense.
· Speaking of the Patriots’ defense, things started to round into form in the second quarter, with Judon (a sack and a tipped pass) leading the way. Big surprise.
There have been some defensive missteps throughout the first half — more on that in a second. But for the most part, Judon (2.5 sacks) has done his job.
· For the third time this year, the Patriots yielded a touchdown with fewer than two minutes left in the first half. It also happened against Miami and Baltimore. They lost both those of those games. It wasn’t the only reason, but it isn’t completely coincidental either.
In a game where the Patriots won’t have much margin for error, allowing 10 points in the last two minutes of the first half isn’t a sustainable model.
· Jones’s movement throughout the first quarter-plus was good — he didn’t shown any ill effects of the ankle injury. He was New England’s leading rusher through the first quarter. (The first 46 yards of offense including 16 rushing yards from the quarterback.)
· One side note: After Jones slid following a first-half gain, it certainly appeared he went out of his way to kick Jaquan Brisker in the groin. If that was the case … come on, man. Brisker got his revenge with the interception, but that’s an awful look by the quarterback. Plenty of defensive backs on Twitter went after Mac for the (perceived or real) infraction.
· When it comes to special teams, I wasn’t crazy about Marcus Jones bringing the ball out of the end zone on his first couple of opportunities, and it felt like Jake Bailey sort of knuckled one of his punts. But all in all, the group gets a mostly positive grade for its work for the first two quarters, especially on a night where both teams are fighting the weather.
· The Bears will get the ball to start the second half.
Halftime stat check — 9:50 p.m.
The first two quarters are in the books in Foxborough, and the Patriots trail 17-10.
Mac Jones: 3-6, 13 yards, 1 INT; 3 carries, 24 yards
Bailey Zappe: 5-6, 109 yards, 1 TD
Rhamondre Stevenson: 8 carries, 23 yards; 2 catches, 19 yards
DeVante Parker: 2 catches, 55 yards
Justin Fields: 9-13, 133 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 10 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
Bears add an FG as the second quarter ends — 9:46 p.m.
Bears 20, Patriots 14 | Halftime
The drive: 7 plays, 32 yards, 1:32
The analysis: These end-of-half breakdowns on defense have become a brutal habit for the New England defense.
We mentioned the late touchdowns allowed earlier. Now, after the Khalil Herbert touchdown that gave them a 14-10 lead, the Bears added a field goal after the Zappe/Meyers fumble.
Zappe turns it over — 9:38 p.m.
Zappe fumbles on the handoff to Jakobi Meyers — an ugly turnover there.
In a game where there will not be a large margin for error, the Patriots can’t afford to fall back into old habits.
Justin Fields connects with Khalil Herbert for TD — 9:33 p.m.
Bears 17, Patriots 14 | 1:54, second quarter
The drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:10
The analysis: For the third time this year, the Patriots yield a touchdown with fewer than two minutes left in the first half.
Fields did well to beat the Patriots’ blitz there, but that’s just a bad situation for New England’s defense to get beaten like that at the end of a half once again.
Stevenson scores to give Pats the lead — 9:21 p.m.
Patriots 14, Bears 10 | 6:04, second quarter
The drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:30
The analysis: Again, good complementary football.
The Myles Bryant pick gave the Patriots the ball at midfield, leading to Zappe’s thunderbolt of a pass to DeVante Parker for 43 yards. Zappe’s first two drives have started at midfield.
Two plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson walked into the end zone from four yards out. Zappe is 4-for-4 for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Watch here:
Myles Bryant intercepts Justin Fields — 9:15 p.m.
This is the sort of complementary football we saw the last few weeks; the defense helping out an occasionally inconsistent offense. Myles Bryant hauled in the tipped pass for the first takeaway of the night, and the Patriots — and Bailey Zappe — will take over at the 50. Chicago leads it 10-7 with 7:34 to go in the first half.
Instant reaction to Zappe’s TD pass — 9:13 p.m.
Holy cow! Zappe steps in, and throws a TD — 9:08 p.m.
Bears 10, Patriots 7 | 9:43, second quarter
The drive: 4 plays, 55 yards, 2:12
The analysis: New quarterback, different result.
Bailey Zappe entered the game with 11:55 left in the first half, and provided an immediate jolt for the New England offense.
Zappe maneuvered the Patriots into Chicago territory, with the initial big play coming on a 20-yard gainer to Rhamondre Stevenson. He followed that up with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers. The Patriots are on the board — it’s 10-7 with 9:43 left in the first half.
Watch here:
Bailey Zappe enters the game — 9:05 p.m.
Bailey Zappe is in the game at 11:55 in the second quarter.
Mac Jones sits 3-for-6 for 13 yards and interception.
Jones gets picked off — 8:58 p.m.
Oh man. Mac Jones was just picked off by Jaquan Brisker on a ball meant for Jonnu Smith — a lousy decision by the quarterback. If there’s a jumping-off point for changing out signal callers, we may have found it.
Chicago has the ball at its own 27-yard line with 13:08 to go in the first half.
End of Q1: Bears 10, Patriots 0 — 8:50 p.m.
Mac Jones is the Patriots’ leading rusher with 10 yards on 2 carries.
Jones has targeted four receivers, connecting with three of them — his longest pass was a 12-yarder to Hunter Henry.
The Patriots’ formula isn’t working so far — 8:45 p.m.
The Patriots’ formula for success in their last two-plus games has been consistent defense, good special teams, and just enough offense to make a difference. The Patriots haven’t done that so far.
It probably hasn’t been Mac Jones’s fault, at last from this standpoint. Three penalties on your left tackle is a good place to begin that conversation.
In all, it’s pretty poor complementary football.
One positive note: Excellent work in run support on that second-down run from Jack Jones, a play that set up a third-and-6. Fields answered with a deep ball to keep things moving for Chicago.
Justin Fields runs it in — 8:43 p.m.
Bears 10, Patriots 0 | 2:11, first quarter
The drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 4:18
A great start for the Chicago offense, as Justin Fields put the capper on an excellent drive with a three-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
Adding insult to injury, old pal N’Keal Harry had one of the receptions that moved the chains for the Bears, a 14-yarder that put Chicago into the red zone. Fields is 5-6 for 70 yards and a rushing touchdown to start the game.
What we’re seeing halfway through the first quarter — 8:36 p.m.
Jones looks to be OK when it comes to his movement and mobility.
Three penalties so far on Trent Brown. Referee Brad Allen is one of the most flag-happy officials in the league (as we told you in the pregame), but that’s a bad start for the veteran.
Stat check:
Mac Jones: 2-2, 1 yard; 1 carry, 6 yards
Rhamondre Stevenson: 2 carries, 5 yards
Damien Harris: 1 carry, 3 yards; 1 catch, 2 yards
Tough start for Trent Brown — 8:34 p.m.
Bears get on the board — 8:28 p.m.
Bears 3, Patriots 0 | 9:02, first quarter
The drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 3:52
The Bears offense settled for a Cairo Santos field goal after taking over at their own 34-yard line and making it only 42 yards.
The analysis: One thing multiple people in Chicago said this week was that Fields’s biggest weakness as a passer is that he doesn’t get the ball out quickly enough.
In the early going, he’s looked good; the Bears picked up their first first down of the evening when Fields hit Darnell Mooney on a 20-yard pass play after a scramble. (Fields’ strength as a passer this year has come when he’s been on the move.) He had an 11-yarder to Equanimeous St. Brown that got Chicago deeper into New England territory before the field goal. Good start for Fields and the Bears.
Defensive starters — 8:26 p.m.
Jones, Patriots go four-and-out on first drive — 8:22 p.m.
Jones’s first pass attempt of the night was a little high. It’s reasonable to wonder if he was a little jacked up in his first action in a month.
He did look OK on the third-down scramble for six yards. We’ll see how the rest of the night shakes out for the quarterback, but the Bears will take over at their own 34-yard line with 12:54 left in the first quarter.
And we’re off — 8:15 p.m.
Stay tuned for updates.
On ESPN2 tonight … — 8:05 p.m.
President Barack Obama will join the Manning brothers.
The official Price Prediction — 8:00 p.m.
I say the Patriots win and cover tonight. Chicago’s strength is the run game, but if New England is able to execute against this Bears’ defense early — keep in mind that the Bears have one of the worst run defenses in the league — that’ll force Justin Fields to try and throw to get them back into the game. That’s a recipe for disaster for Chicago. If Mac Jones can settle in early after his time away, lean on his ground game, and avoid turnovers, this shouldn’t be close. Patriots 28, Bears 10.
What Bill Belichick said before the game — 7:50 p.m.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Bill Belichick’s pregame conversation with Scott Zolak, besides the fact that he confirmed Mac Jones will start:
· Belichick hailed the return of Jamie Collins, who is active for his first game of the season with New England. “He’s worked hard to get back into shape. Look forward to seeing him out there.”
· On the contributions of the rookies: “We’ll see how it goes. We’ve had some contributions here early. It’s always tough for rookies to [adjust] to a 17-game season. … But some of them are off to a good start. Hopefully, we can continue to build on that and not run out of gas.”
From Cole Strange to Bailey Zappe, the Patriots’ 2022 draft class already paying dividends
· On the Bears: “These guys play really hard. Their backs are hard to tackle — they get a lot of yards on their own. … Matt [Eberflus, Bears coach] has done a good job across the board. He’s gotten players to buy in. They’re improving every week.”
· On Justin Fields: “He can make big plays. He’s had some big scramble plays. … It’ll just take good team defense against a guy like this.”
Belichick says Jones will start — 7:38 p.m.
History for Belichick tonight? — 7:30 p.m.
A victory tonight will give Bill Belichick his 325th overall win and sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for coaches, just 22 wins behind the 347 wins by Don Shula.
Belichick also enters tonight’s game tied with Shula and the Dolphins for second-most regular-season wins with one team at 257. With a win, Belichick will be in sole possession of second place, behind the 318 regular season wins by George Halas.
Numbers to know — 7:25 p.m.
A few numbers to look for this evening, courtesy of the Patriots’ PR staff:
· The Patriots have allowed just two rushing touchdowns in the first six games, and neither have been by an opponent’s running back. The longest the Patriots have gone without allowing a running back to score on a TD run is eight games (2019). New England is the only team that has not allowed an opposing running back to score yet this season.
· Deatrich Wise, Jr., who has five sacks this season, needs one more sack to hit a single-season career high.
· If Rhamondre Stevenson has a 30-yard run tonight, he’d become the first Patriots running back with a run of 30 yards or more in three straight games since Antowain Smith in 2001. Smith had a 38-yard run at Buffalo on Dec. 16, a 44-yard run vs. Miami on Dec. 22 and a 32-yard touchdown run at Carolina on Jan. 6.
· If Tyquan Thornton scores a rushing touchdown, he’ll become the first Patriots wide receiver with two rushing touchdowns in the same season, and would join Darryl Stingley as the only other Patriots wide receiver with two rushing touchdowns for his Patriots career.
· Tonight, Matthew Slater will play in his 213th game, putting him in second place for most games played in a Patriots uniform. No. 1? That would be the 285 games played by a guy named Tom Brady.
Why MNF will be simulcast on NBC10 instead of Channel 5 — 7:15 p.m.
From Chad Finn:
A few readers checked in this past week asking the same simple question: Why is the Patriots-Bears game on “Monday Night Football” being simulcast locally on NBC10 rather than Channel 5, Boston’s ABC affiliate where ESPN/ABC games usually air in this market?
Again, simple question, right? Which is why I’m stumped as to why asking for a simple explanation brought vague yet complicated answers from ESPN and the local stations involved.
Read the full story here.
Jahlani Tavai has traveled a long way to find a home — 7:10 p.m.
Jahlani Tavai has come a long way since the Lions cut him at the end of training camp in 2021, developing into one of the Patriots’ most versatile defenders on the second level.
Coincidentally, it was a call from Matt Patricia shortly after his Lions release that kicked-started Tavai’s career resurgence.
Read the full story here.
Breaking down the inactives — 7:00 p.m.
The Patriots just announced their inactives for Monday’s game:
Shaun Wade (illness) didn’t practice on Friday or Saturday, and was questionable as a result. While Wade isn’t a starter, his absence will again test the depth of the New England secondary. Look for Jack Jones, Jonathan Jones, and Jalen Mills to lead the way when it comes to playing time.
Christian Barmore (knee) was limited all week and questionable coming into the game. This is a sizable loss, as Barmore has done well this year when it comes to bottling up the run. The presence of Lawrence Guy (who has been in and out of the lineup all year because of health issues) should help mollify Barmore’s loss.
Kendrick Bourne (turf toe) was limited all week, and was questionable heading into the weekend. With no Bourne, the back end of the receiving depth chart could see more touches. Maybe this is the week for the annual Mattthew Slater deep ball attempt? (A traditional as old as time itself.)
Safety Joshuah Bledsoe (healthy scratch) is the victim of a numbers game — too many good safeties. The youngster will sit again this evening. (The thinking here — the decision to leave him inactive says more about those in front of him on the depth chart than Bledsoe himself.)
Linebacker Josh Uche (hamstring) was limited all week in practice, and was listed as questionable on Saturday. No surprise there.
The decision to leave rookie Kevin Harris (healthy scratch) inactive probably says more about the health of veteran Damien Harris, who didn’t play last week against the Browns but will dress tonight against the Bears.
Isaiah Wynn (shoulder) is inactive for the first time this season. The occasionally beleaguered Wynn, who has struggled in his move to right tackle, won’t go tonight, likely leaving the door open for Marcus Cannon.
The Patriots’ Isaiah Wynn has struggled to acclimate at right tackle. The result? The most penalties in the NFL.
Among the notables in action tonight for the Patriots include quarterback Mac Jones, who has been out since the end of September with a high-ankle sprain, as well as cornerbacks Jalen Mills (illness), and Jonathan Jones (ankle), both of whom listed as questionable on Saturday’s injury report.
Nelson Agholor (hamstring) is good to go as well — it’ll be interesting to see how playing time will shake out for rookie Tyquan Thornton as a result.
The weather report — 6:55 p.m.
The Patriots have dealt with the occasional passing shower this season, but tonight could be the first real ”weather” game of the year for the Patriots. Highs are expected to be in the upper 50s, with a chance of precipitation and fog this evening. (Although there could be a window where things will say relatively dry.)
Through the first six games, the Patriots are 1-1 when the temps are 80 or above at kickoff, 1-2 when it’s been in the 60s, and 1-0 when it’s been in the 50s. (We’re admittedly cherry-picking our stats here, but the Patriots have done very well lately when the temperature at kickoff has been 50 degrees; their last loss when it was between 50 and 59 degrees at kickoff was Oct. 18, 2020 at home against the Broncos.)
Tonight’s inactives — 6:45 p.m.
On the officiating crew — 6:35 p.m.
Brad Allen will work tonight’s game as the referee. According to NFLpenalties.com, his crew has called 64 penalties through five games, an average of 12.8 penalties per game — sixth-most in the league. History says he’s more inclined to throw a flag on the visitors; home teams have been hit with 27 penalties this year, while road teams have 37. False starts are his call of choice — a whopping 19 flags have been thrown because of false starts this year.
That could be bad news for Isaiah Wynn, who is tied for second in the league in false starts with three through six games. The Patriots are 2-3 in the last five games Allen has served as the lead official, including last year’s playoff loss to the Bills in Buffalo. This is his first New England game of the 2022 season.
Gambling notes: Patriots the favorite by at least a TD — 6:25 p.m.
A few gambling notes regarding the Patriots, all according to BetOnline:
· The line for Patriots-Bears started at New England -7.5, and moved to 9 as of last night. It was one of the biggest point swings over course of the week for BetOnline.
The biggest swing of the week, though, was the Jets-Broncos, where Denver went from -3 to +1, a four-point move. (For what it’s worth, WynnBet has the Patriots -7.5, and the over./under at 39.)
· The Patriots’ odds to win the Super Bowl have gone from 150/1 two weeks ago to 60/1. (Buffalo is tops at 14/5.) New England has 25/1 odds for winning the AFC after being at 75/1 two weeks ago, and is has 12/1 odds to win the division (they were 33/1 two weeks ago).
· After being off the board three weeks ago, Bailey Zappe and Jack Jones are 10/1 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. (In Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner, the Jets have the favorites in both categories, although that’s likely to change with Hall’s season-ending injury.) Matthew Judon remains 50/1 to win Defensive Player of the Year, while Bill Belichick’s odds to win Coach of the Year have gone from 100/1 to 33/1 in the last two weeks.
Predictions? — 6:15 p.m.
What you need to know before the game — 6:10 p.m.
Best way to get the evening started is with your custom-designed pregame reading list:
Welcome to Monday Night Football — 6:00 p.m.
Good evening, and welcome to the Patriots’ first primetime game of the season.
Tonight, it’ll be New England (3-3) and Chicago (2-4) at Gillette Stadium. Will it be Bailey Zappe or Mac Jones at quarterback? Can the Patriots win their third straight? Will Bill Belichick be able to pass the legendary George Halas and move into second place on the all-time wins list? All those questions will be answered sooner rather than later.
We’ll have our usual routine — pregame notes and analysis, in-game updates, and postgame news from the press conferences. CUE THE BAND.