Patriots vs. Bears Week 7 Betting Odds, Prediction and Picks: Maye, Williams Meet on Thursday Night Football
It’s a very intriguing matchup of third-year quarterbacks in the Thursday night game to kick off NFL Week 7 as Drake Maye and the New England Patriots visit Caleb Williams and the Bears. Chicago is -3 on the NFL odds with a total of 49.5 points.
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Patriots vs. Bears Kickoff, Weather, TV, Streaming Info
Still pretty nice weather-wise in the Windy City for Thursday (and not much wind): A mostly clear sky. Low near 50F. Winds light and variable.
In Canada, Patriots vs. Bears kicks off Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET and is available live on Prime Video.
NFL Betting Odds, Point Spread, Trends
The 2024 NFL Draft made history when five quarterbacks were chosen in the Top 10 and tied a mark with six total first-round selections – all in the Top 12. We may never see something like that again. And that class has largely looked quite good other than No. 10 overall choice J.J. McCarthy by Minnesota. He already has been traded.
USC’s Caleb Williams was the consensus top prospect in that draft, and the Chicago Bears wasted no time taking him at No. 1 overall. But scouts were largely mixed on the second-best QB prospect between LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. Washington took Daniels at No. 2, and New England grabbed Maye third.
Both Williams and Maye led their teams to division titles last season, but Maye had the slightly upper hand in getting the Patriots to the Super Bowl and finishing second in the MVP voting. They did meet in Chicago as struggling rookies in November 2024, the last game between the franchises, and the Patriots won 19-3. Maye was 15-for-25 for 184 yards with a TD and pick, while Williams was 16-for-30 for 120 yards with no TDs or INTs. Both guys are leaps and bounds better now and surrounded by more talent.
NFL Player Odds and Props
Take both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye for at least two touchdown passes each. These guys are 2024 draft peers and will want to one-up each other if possible. Also like Chicago tight end Colston Loveland for an anytime TD as he is Williams’ security blanket.
New England Patriots
New England won its third straight game Sunday, 26-19 over the New York Jets, and Drake Maye has been outstanding in that run. He had three more touchdown passes against the Jets with no turnovers. He has 11 total touchdowns and two turnovers in the past three games after one total TD and seven giveaways in the first three. Maye has become the fifth quarterback in franchise history with at least three TD passes in three straight games. Top wideout AJ Brown played for the first time since Week 1 off injury and was targeted 10 times but only caught three for 27 yards thanks in part to a career-high three drops. New England saw a lot of players get injured Sunday, including No. 2 WR Romeo Doubs and three starting offensive linemen, so that’s obviously a concern on a short week.
Chicago Bears
Chicago got starting QB Caleb Williams back from injury for the first time since Week 2 and the offence looked completely different in a 31-23 win in Atlanta on Sunday. Williams was terrific in completing 30 of 36 for 305 yards, a TD and no turnovers. His 72.5 per cent completions on the season is the best among current NFL starting QBs. The Bears are averaging 35.0 points per game in their four wins this year and 5.0 PPG in the two losses. They had three more rushing scores Sunday, and their 13 scores on the ground are tied for the most in team history through six games in the Super Bowl era. The clear defensive star Sunday was Kyler Gordon in his season debut off injury. He had three sacks and two forced fumbles, become the only defensive back in league history (since sacks became official in 1982) with at least three sacks and two forced fumbles in a game. Fair to say Gordon will be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Chicago played without two defensive starters in linebacker TJ Edwards and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The under is 4-0 in the Bears’ past four at home.
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