Bears romp past Patriots 33-14 as QB Justin Fields, defense shine

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Every time Bears quarterback Justin Fields does this, hope surges that he might still prove himself to be a star.

Fields was far from perfect Monday night against the Patriots, but he was electric and led the Bears to a stunning and sparkling 33-14 win at Gillette Stadium. In 50 years of sporadic matchups in this series, the Bears had never won in Foxborough.

While these aren’t the Tom Brady-era perennial Super Bowl contenders, the Patriots still brought a top-10 defense into the game and were an 8.5-point favorite at kickoff.

It was more than most thought the Bears could handle. And they delivered their best performance of the season. It was their highest scoring total since December 2020, and they could’ve had even more had they not taken a knee on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line with 25 seconds left.

They looked different from the start. The defense forced the Patriots into three-and-outs on their first two possessions, and Fields responded by leading the offense to points each time.

The Bears eventually backslid and coughed up their early 10-0 lead, but got back on top by halftime at 20-14. Then they opened the second half with a pair of field goals and had control of the game, ahead 26-14.

Along the way, Fields deciphered coach Bill Belichick’s ever-complicated defensive scheme and made big plays as a runner and a passer. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown and an interception for an 85.2 passer rating, plus he added 82 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Neither his passing nor rushing totals were overwhelming, but the combination of both elements made him special. He used them in tandem, keeping the Patriots guessing and off-balanced as he dodged pass rushers and bought time to look downfield. He showed excellent pocket awareness and an ability to quickly scan his reads.

Essentially, he did everything the Bears have been asking him to do. And he did it against a defense that had allowed just an 81.1 passer rating for the season.

Fields’ defense backed him up, too. Every aspect of the team in some way connects to his development. It was a direct benefit to him that the Patriots had just two drives longer than four plays out of their first nine and were so bad early that they benched quarterback Mac Jones — the other quarterback on the board when the Bears drafted Fields at No. 11 last year.

Actually, Bears safety Jaquan Brisker benched Jones.

Three plays after Jones caught Brisker in the groin with his cleat as he slid at the end of a run, Brisker came through with an unbelievable interception. As Patriots tight end Jonnu drifted down the right sideline for what would’ve been a first-down catch in scoring range, Brisker raced in and picked it off with one hand.

Quite the revenge. It might have ended Jones’ run as Patriots starter.

The Bears buckled under a Bailey Zappe-charged burst after he replaced Jones — he had 97 yards and a touchdown on his first four throws — but quickly resettled.

Fields kept the offense rolling throughout. The Bears scored on seven of their first nine possessions, a revelation after years of scuffling.

But they’ve seen this before. What matters most is whether Fields can make this type of impact regularly.

Fields played a similarly impressive game two weeks earlier against the Vikings that looked like yet another breakthrough, then fell flat and got pummeled behind a faulty offensive line in nauseating home loss to the Commanders.

And it was about this time last year that he led a near-comeback against the Steelers on the same national stage of Monday Night Football, only to sputter the next week against the Ravens before exiting with an injury. He played just two games the rest of the season, and they weren’t good.

It’s certainly frustrating for Fields, but this is how it’ll be until he truly gains traction: This game was nice, but do it again. And again. And again.

General manager Ryan Poles said before the game he was encouraged by Fields showing “flashes” of potential, but any quarterback can do that. It’s the ability to string them together that makes someone the future of the franchise.

Mitch Trubisky played great games occasionally. Aaron Rodgers made a career out of doing it all the time.

Fields needs to use this as a launching point in his young career and reach a level where this type of performance is the expectation, not a surprise.

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