Whatever doubt that lingered around the Chicago Bears before the 2026 NFL season has now fully evaporated. By defeating the New England Patriots, the AFC champions from a year ago, in front of the entire country, the Bears have proven that their 2025 season was no fluke, and that those fans and analysts who picked them to be a legit Super Bowl contender were right to believe in them.

This matchup was always going to be one of the hardest games on the Bears' 2026 schedule, one that would serve as a true litmus test for where the team stands in Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era, and they passed with flying colors. It was touch-and-go for a while, and it came down to the game's final minute, but the Bears pulled it off and deserve all the credit in the world for this win.

We'll have plenty of time to analyze this win in-depth over the weekend and even throughout next week as the Bears now enter their mini-bye with a 5-2 record. For now, let's hand out some game balls, starting with the man of the hour.

1. Caleb Williams

Similar to the Bears as a team, Caleb Williams himself entered this season with plenty of doubt around him. People wanted to know if last year a fluke or a sign of even greater things to come. Without a doubt, the answer is the latter. Williams was brilliant again this week against a tough New England defense, completing 22 of 33 passes for 308 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which was almost exactly what I put in my stat predictions for this Bears-Patriots game.

Both Williams and New England's Drake Maye put on a show for the NFL world, but Williams walked out with the win. The Bears can now rest easy this weekend, and Williams has the added satisfaction of getting vengeance against Maye and the Patriots, as well as this game ball.

2. Luther Burden III

The Bears entered 2026 with a question as to who would be their WR1 on the depth chart in 2026, and Burden has seized that title and won't let it go. He caught all four of his targets for 130 yards, including turning a screen pass on third-and-17 into a touchdown. Even better, he was just two yards short of a two-touchdown day.

Again and again, Burden showed up when the Bears needed him most, making big plays and putting points on the board and helping put the Patriots away. For that, he gets a game ball.

3. D'Marco Jackson

I struggled with who deserved this last game ball the most, and I decided to go with the guy who potentially saved the game while it was still in the first half: linebacker D'Marco Jackson. On New England's penultimate first half drive, Drake Maye was driving New England down the field and a touchdown seemed inevitable. Instead, Jackson stepped in front of a pass intended for tight end Eli Raridon in the endzone and snagged just his second career interception.

This ended up being a 14-point swing in Chicago's favor, and for that reason this last game ball goes to Jackson.