Week 10 of the NFL season brings a battle between the top quarterbacks in the 2024 draft when the Chicago Bears host the New England Patriots.
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, respectively, entered the league as the No. 1 and No. 3 overall picks, falling into very different scenarios. The Bears developed talent around Williams for two years before his arrival. Meanwhile, the Patriots didn’t have the same support system for Maye, although the North Carolina product continued to play through the team’s self-inflicted adversity.
New England enters at 2-7 with expected struggles in the early days of a new era and a total rebuild under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Losses have remained the status quo and the development of talented youngsters far outweighs the importance or value of the Patriots’ wins and losses in 2024.
As for the Bears, Chicago competes in a loaded NFC North with talented teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. This division could load up the NFC playoff picture which currently sees Chicago falling behind at 4-4. The Bears have suffered back-to-back devastating losses and could be in for another if the Patriots pull off the upset on Sunday.
Concerns already exist regarding the abilities of Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus. Williams too I finished the game limping in a 20-point loss to the Cardinals in Week 9. With the Bears still early in their new era, could a loss to New England be enough to mark the end of Eberflus and send Chicago in a new direction?
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The Patriots and Bears kick off Sunday at Solider Field at 1 p.m. ET.
