Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns as Chicago won wire to wire against the defending AFC champions.
The Chicago Bears took down the visiting New England Patriots 30-24 on Thursday Night Football, winning wire to wire for the second straight game and chipping away at another round of narratives that followed Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson into the season.
Williams finished 22-of-33 for 308 yards with two touchdowns against a Patriots defense anchored by cornerback Christian Gonzalez, outdueling New England's Drake Maye. The only blemish was an end-of-game sack, but otherwise Williams looked sharp against a well-regarded unit. Luther Burden III was the game's leading receiver.
Williams has spent the season swatting away criticism, from questions about his deep ball to complaints about his sack rate and accuracy. After the game, Williams and Burden appeared on the TNF Nightcap desk, where Williams needled Richard Sherman over a Bears ranking, telling him he keeps tabs on what's being said. The quarterback also got MVP chants from the desk.
Chicago's defense was far from airtight, but Johnson and Williams have shown they can win in more than one way. The Bears have now strung together consecutive wins in which they never trailed, a shift from last year's habit of needing late-game heroics.