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Patriots legend shares his thoughts on what Drake Maye needs improve before his second season.
The New England Patriots will reportedly face the Chicago Bears in Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season. This was confirmed by multiple media outlets on Wednesday evening. The full NFL schedule is set to be released on Thursday night.
The Patriots have had some schedule leaks already. They will take on the Seattle Seahawks in the opening week of the season. They will then travel across the pond to face the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany. Now, they will reportedly face the Bears and what should be another fun match on this schedule.
In an unusual twist, the game will take place on Thursday night, in what is going to be a fun game on the schedule.
The Patriots and Chicago Bears will be playing on Thursday Night Football in Week 7 (Oct. 22 on Prime).
All three of the leaked New England games have been standalone games:
Patriots Have Recent History With The Bears
The Patriots and Bears have met each other quite a bit over the past couple of seasons. The Patriots most recently faced the Bears on November 10, 2024. New England won the game by a 19-3 margin. The last prime-time game these two teams played in was on Monday Night Football on October 24, 2022. The Bears won 33-14 in what was a game that many Patriots fans will remember.
The Patriots’ offense struggled early in the game, led by quarterback Mac Jones. Jones was hesitant in the pocket after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain. He completed just three of six passes for 13 yards on the evening. The drive that sealed his fate ended with a high pass thrown to Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. This led the Patriots crowd to chant for backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. The latter had played well while Jones was out with the injury.
Zappe immediately led the Patriots on back-to-back touchdown drives following his entrance into the game. With that being said, the Bears’ defense caught on quickly. The quarterback finished 14-of-22, throwing for 185 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. This would spark an ensuing quarterback debate in the weeks and months to come, as the Patriots did not get consistency out of the quarterback room.
Patriots and Bears Have Moved To Greener Pastures
However, both franchises have moved past that point. The Bears are coming off a season that saw them go 11-6 and secure first place in the NFC North division. This marked a major turnaround under new head coach Ben Johnson. They were able to make their first postseason playoff appearance since 2018, and included a major comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.
It should be a fun game for Patriots and Bears fans alike. It will allow them to see Drake Maye and Caleb Williams go head-to-head once again. It will also give the Patriots a chance to secure a victory against a marquee opponent in a high-pressure setting. This will be fun for Patriots fans and football fans alike, and it certainly adds to what is becoming an action-packed schedule. It will certainly be interesting to see how the Patriots do in this game. It will also offer a solid measuring stick in the back half of the season for the organization.
Danny Jaillet Danny Jaillet is a sportswriter with more than 15 years experience in the industry. He has been featured on Fox Sports, USA Today, and Yahoo Sports among others. He graduated from Worcester State University with a B.A. in communications and a minor in writing. More about Danny Jaillet