The NFL slate closes out its Week 7 schedule with the New England Patriots (3-3, 1-1 home) taking on the Chicago Bears (2-4, 0-3 away) in a cross-division tilt on Monday Night Football. New England aims to extend its winning streak to three games while the Bears try to snap a three-game losing skid.
Monday’s kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. EST inside Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. New England is an 8.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 40.0 points.
What to Know – Chicago Bears
After a 2-1 start, the season is trending in the wrong direction for the Bears, who have dropped four of its last five contests. Chicago sits in third place in the NFC North, already three games back of the leading Minnesota Vikings.
The Justin Fields experiment is at a standstill as the starter continues to struggle under center. Fields is completing just 54.8% of his passes, with four touchdowns and five interceptions thrown. He is second on the team in rushing, adding 282 yards on the ground and a pair of TDs.
David Montgomery remains the Bears’ starter at running back, but it is backup Khalil Herbert who’s shown more flash out of the backfield. Montgomery has carried the ball 62 times for 246 yards and one touchdown, while Herbert adds 402 yards and three scores.
Wide receiver Darnell Mooney is Fields’ favorite target when he is looking downfield. Mooney leads Chicago in targets (33) and receiving yards (241). Wide out Dante Pettis has hauled in five passes, two ending in touchdowns.
What to Know – New England Patriots
The Patriots’ season seemed in jeopardy when New England started 1-3 and starting quarterback Mac Jones went down with an injury that was going to cause a few weeks on the IR. New England has forged through, winning their last two contests to work its record back to .500 but sit at the bottom of the AFC East.
Bailey Zappe has stepped into quarterbacking duties for the injured Jones and has been a spark for the New England offense. Zappe has completed over 70% of his throws with four touchdowns and only one turnover.
Starting running back Damien Harris is also on the shelf for a few more weeks, handing the rushing duties over to second-year player Rhamondre Stevenson. The bruising running back has carried the rock 87 times for 448 yards and three touchdowns this year.
Jones and Zappe have spread the ball around in the passing attack to a handful of Patriots’ athletes. Wide receivers Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, and Nelson Agholor have all caught over 200 yards, and each has one touchdown a piece.
The Pick is In
No one expects Chicago to win this game, and Vegas certainly believes this contest isn’t going to be partially close. New England is trending in the right direction, but the spread is a lot of points, and we will side with the Bears and the 8.5.
The Pick: Chicago Bears +8.5
