Events

Monday Night Football brings the Bears to take on the Patriots

The primetime matchup projects as the first head-to-head meeting between young quarterbacks Justin Fields and Mac Jones.

By Dave D'Onofrio

1 minute to read

Are you ready for some football? Because there’s a Monday night party scheduled for Gillette Stadium in late October.

The Patriots will share the national stage with another of the NFL’s signature franchises as the Bears come to Foxborough for a Super Bowl XX rematch — and, more relevantly, a battle of teams seeking to establish their bona fides around a second-year quarterback.

In New England, that’s Mac Jones, of course. For Chicago, that’s Justin Fields, who was installed as the full-time starter this season after sharing the role last season. Both were first-round choices in the 2021 draft, with the Bears trading up to take Fields at No. 11 while the Pats sat back and waited for Jones to fall into their lap at No. 15.

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At the time, there was significant sentiment that New England should’ve been more aggressive in order to target Fields, an Ohio State product who is dangerous with both his arm and his legs. He’s a different player than Jones, though the Patriot’s Pro Bowl nod is reflective of the reality that he had a superior rookie season.

It remains to be seen whose QB will prove better in the long run, but the Bears-Patriots Monday night matchup will almost surely be cast in the short-term as a referendum on the two players and the programs they’re now helming. It will also be another chance for Bill Belichick to prove he’s still got it; for years, he’s dominated young quarterbacks like Fields and first-year coaches like Chicago’s Matt Eberflus, though that supremacy has waned some recently, as the questions about Belichick’s efficacy have begun to amplify.

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In general, this could be a big game for Belichick, considering where it falls in the calendar. The Bears come in as the third foe in a four-game stretch also featuring the Lions, Browns, and Jets, and that soft October slate figures to present New England with an opportunity to enter November carrying some confidence and momentum. That Monday Night against Chicago won’t be a must-win — but it might be close.

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