A meeting with the host Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon will have more meaning than the regular season game for New England Patriots running back Drake Maye.
Maye, selected third overall in this year’s draft, will compete with the No. 1 overall and fellow caller Caleb Williams in a battle of friends turned foes. The two knew each other before breaking out in the NFL, but Maye will try to treat Sunday as business as usual.
“I think both as rookies, coming out as quarterbacks, you spend a lot of time with those guys. You see them, some on tour, some on the combine. Really, with Caleb, I’ve seen him since high school,” Maye said. “We lived together in college, we were friends, and I enjoyed watching him do his thing.
“Now I get to compete. So anytime you’re going to compete against a rookie quarterback in the same class, or any quarterback in your class in general, it’s a little bit more.”
Both quarterbacks have already had to deal with adversity, with Maye holding a 1-3 record as a starter and Williams 4-4.
The biggest problem that Williams and the Bears (4-4) encountered came in the last two games. Chicago was beaten 29-9 by the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday after falling 18-15 to the Washington Commanders on Oct. 27.
A third straight loss would not sit well with Bears coach Matt Eberflus.
“Anytime you lose two in a row in the NFL, there’s always a sense of urgency because you have to get that win column back,” Eberflus said. “That was no different from the beginning of the year when we lost a couple in a row, it’s exactly the same, we need to find answers and find solutions where we are right now.
“We’re going the right way for three weeks, and then the last couple, we have to make sure we get answers right now going into this week.”
New England (2-7) nearly pulled off a miracle last Sunday, forcing overtime against the Tennessee Titans when Maye eluded multiple defenders to land a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson on the final play of regulation. The extra point made it 17-17.
However, Nick Folk hit a 25-yard field goal to put Tennessee ahead in overtime, and Maye threw the game-tying touchdown three plays later.
It was the third win of the tournament for Maye, who knows he has to be sharp against Chicago.
“I think the Bears’ defense will always be a physical defense,” Maye said. “They’re good up front. They’ve got good guys. I feel like every D-line has good guys on the edge. They’re going to go after the ball; we preach ball security.”
The Patriots could be without safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) and linebacker Christian Elliss (abdomen) on Sunday. Both players missed practice on Wednesday, with Keion White (knee) among those limited.
Six injured Bears missed practice Wednesday, including safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion), Andrew Billings (pectoral strain) and linebacker Jaylon Jones (shoulder). Defensive end Montez Sweat (shin) practiced on a limited basis, as did four others.
–Field Level Media
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