It got nervy in the Windy City.

The Chicago Bears outlasted the New England Patriots 30-24 on Thursday Night Football to open Week 7, which also came on the day the team honored club legend Mike Ditka.

Chicago took two different 13-point leads, but New England kept fighting back to make it close. But some late inefficiency led to the Bears securing insurance points to seal the deal.

The Bears moved to 5-2 despite not having Caleb Williams for the entirety of it, while the Patriots fell to 4-3 as a Drake Maye turnover proved to be the difference.

Let's break down the primetime game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: Luther Burden III, Bears

Chicago's sophomore wideout had arguably his best game of the season. He hauled in four catches on four targets for 130 yards and a touchdown.

His longest was a catch-and-run of 58 yards that ended in the red zone. The Bears will hope he can build off this, with Caleb Williams also throwing for 308 yards.

LUTHER BURDEN INSIDE THE 5

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— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2026

LOSER: The one turnover

A six-point New England loss could be pointed back to one error. Late in the second quarter, Maye forced a throw into tight coverage that was picked off in the end zone by D'Marco Jackson.

Chicago would go on to score towards the end of the half, and even though New England quickly recovered those points, it never got enough to surpass the Bears on the night. Chicago did not turn the ball over in this one.

D'Marco Jackson PICKS OFF Maye in the end zone. BEARS BALL.

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— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2026

WINNER: Cairo Santos, Bears

After missing a 53-yard field goal earlier in the quarter to go up two scores, Bears kicker Cairo Santos got a second chance.

The 34-year-old kicker was called upon to score from 58 yards out after Williams took a bad sack while trying to repeat a go-up-by-two-scores drive. With plenty on the line, Santos nailed it to make a new career high. It would also be enough to put the game out of reach.

SANTOS JUST DRILLED A 58-YARDER TO GO UP TWO POSSESSIONS.

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— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2026

LOSER: Patriots run game

D'Andre Swift led Chicago's run game with 78 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. A 3.5 average isn't the best, but New England's best runner was...Maye. The Patriots' QB1 went for 26 yards and a touchdown on four carries.

After Maye was Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 22 yards on six carries. That simply won't cut it, especially for a team coming off a Super Bowl appearance. For all of Maye's flaws, quarterbacks need stable running games to complement them.

WINNER: Kyler Gordon, Bears

Boy, are the Bears happy to have Kyler Gordon back. A second-round pick by Chicago in 2022, Gordon returned last weekend from injury against Atlanta and registered a stunning three-sack game as a corner.

He added another in this game, topping the players mentioned below with four thus far. Gordon tallied five tackles (three solo), two tackles for loss and one QB hit. The Bears got a key player back at a good time.

Kyler Gordon, in 21 snaps this season, has more sacks (4) than:

Maxx Crosby
Myles Garrett
Jalen Carter
Nik Bonitto
Danielle Hunter
Trey Hendrickson
Montez Sweat
Josh Sweat pic.twitter.com/PMlNGncHq4

— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 23, 2026

Caleb Williams is a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick who has already set franchise passing records and delivered big performances in the postseason with the Chicago Bears.