Patriots

The New England Patriots have officially activated quarterback Mac Jones for Monday's Week 7 matchup with the Chicago Bears.

A win is desperately needed for the Patriots to remain competitive in a rapidly improving AFC East division. It’ll be interesting to see how the reps are divided up with Stevenson leading the team in rushing yards and Harris coming off an injury. So it’ll be Jones’ first game back since injuring his ankle in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.

It did not last long. Struggling out of the gate against the Bears, the former first-round draft pick received a chorus of boos from the Gillette Stadium crowd ...

Jones, meanwhile, appeared hesitant in the pocket during his first snaps since suffering the ankle injury, finishing Monday's game 3 of 6 for 13 yards and a pick. [Mac Jones](/nfl/players/2741202/mac-jones/) returned to the field Monday night for the [Patriots](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/NE/new-england-patriots/), making his first start since exiting Week 3 with a high-ankle sprain. Struggling out of the gate against the [Bears](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CHI/chicago-bears/), the former first-round draft pick received a chorus of boos from the Gillette Stadium crowd after throwing an interception in the second quarter.

12:13: Montgomery scored on a 1-yard run. Yikes, New England is getting blown out on Monday Night Football. Chicago 33, New England 14.

Herbert had a wide lane and a crew of blockers to guide him to the endzone. A five yard gain from Stevenson isn’t enough for the first. 0:07: Hunter Henry closes out the quarter with a catch that he had to jump for. The game is Harry’s first of the season after returning from injury. 12:50: Mac Jones’ first drive back ends in a three and out. Not a great start passing-wise for the former first-round pick. 9:30: Justin Fields gets 15 yards on a designed QB run down the right sideline. Chicago has 1st-and-10 on New England’s 26 to start the fourth. Patriots take the lead, Zappe pumps his fist. Bill Belichick didn’t get the win he needed to pass George Halas for second all-time on the NFL coaching wins list. Bringing the pressure this defense needs to stay in it. Zappe threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble that set up a key Chicago score.

The Patriots announced today that they have elevated LB Jamie Collins Sr. and OL Bill Murray to the active roster.

Collins signed with Detroit in the 2019 offseason and was released by the Lions on Sept. Murray, 25, originally joined New England as a rookie free agent out of William & Mary in 2020 and has spent the last two seasons on the practice squad. Collins was released by the Browns on March 6, 2019, and then re-signed with the Patriots on May 15, 2019.

The New England Patriots host the Chicago Bears at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN's "Monday Night Football."Follow all the news, analysis and reaction with this live ...

It was an important and strong answer from the Bears after back-to-back Patriots scores. Could the Patriots be looking at a real QB controversy? The defense got its second takeaway of the first half when Justin Jones pounced on a botched handoff. The Bears have 215 total net yards of offense. Their current average of 6.1 yards per play is a season-high. Noteworthy since Bill Belichick told ESPN that both Zappe and Mac Joens would play in the second half.— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) Already up 26-14, they are driving again in New England territory. If Chicago scores a touchdown on this drive, it will be the first time that New England has allowed 40 points since the 2018 season. New England (3-4) has an AFC East road matchup against the Jets next week. That was key to Chicago outscoring New England 13-0 in the second half, as Cairo Santos hit two of his four field goals on the day to help close the game out for the Bears. The Bears 243 yards on the ground was the most Chicago has posted since the 2010 campaign. [Subscribe to DAZN](https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100lqD8o/ar:liveblog) and watch every second of the NFL season, when and where you want it (Canada only).

The biggest story leading up to the game: the Patriots will have quarterback Mac Jones back under center after he missed the past three games with a high ankle ...

On fourth-and-goal from the New England two, Fields took a knee. On third-down during their next possession, Fields rolled out to his left and hit Cole Kmet down the sideline for a 26-yard gain. Keep the ball on the ground, Chicago picked up one additional first down before Cairo Santos nailed a 50-yard field goal to extends Chicago’s lead. Chicago struck on a 29-yard end around to Dante Pettis the next play to quickly move the ball across midfield. Brown the following play, New England held Chicago to a 38-yard field goal. On a third-and-16 with 19 seconds remaining, Fields found Mooney for a conversion. Immediately after the two minute warning, Fields found Khalil Herbert on a screen for a 25-yard catch and run touchdown. Bailey Zappe got right back to work following the interception, hitting DeVante Parker downfield off play-action for a 43-yard gain. The Patriots picked it up, but Jones tried to force a ball downfield to Jonnu Smith two plays after and was intercepted by Jaquan Brisker. Chicago started their first drive of the night with a pair of handoffs to David Montgomery. New England plagued themselves on their next offensive possession, as Trent Brown was flagged for a hold and a false start. Fields himself tallied 83 yards and a score on the ground, while also making plays with his legs in the passing game.

for Week 7's Monday Night Football. Mac Jones returns for the Patriots after a high ankle sprain sidelined him for four weeks. Some have questioned whether ...

Chicago’s offensive line hasn’t done a great job of protecting Fields, which has led to him running for his life. Mac Jones returns for the Patriots after a high ankle sprain sidelined him for four weeks. [DraftKings Sportsbook](https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/football/nfl).

New England replaced the former first-rounder for the fourth-round rookie on Monday night.

Zappe, a fourth round pick out of Western Kentucky, was inactive for the first three weeks before stepping in for an injured Brian Hoyer in the 27–24 Week 4 loss to the Packers. It didn’t take long for the new fan favorite to inject some life into the offense as Zappe completed all three of his passes for 54 yards and a 30-yard touchdown toss to receiver Jakobi Meyers. Jones’s pick came as the raucous crowd at Gillette Stadium began chanting “Zappe” after Chicago jumped out to an early 10–0 lead.

Bailey Zappe replaced Mac Jones at QB for the Patriots, but Justin Fields led the Bears to victory on Monday Night Football.

The change at punt returner with [Dante Pettis](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3127306/dante-pettis) taking over for [Velus Jones Jr](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4035693/velus-jones-jr). Starting right tackle [Isaiah Wynn](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3128713/isaiah-wynn), who was inactive due to a shoulder injury, had entered the day with eight penalties on the season. [Trent Brown](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3043109/trent-brown) was called for four penalties, three of which came within the team's first two drives. [New England Patriots](/nfl/team/_/name/ne/new-england-patriots) have a quarterback controversy? Brown](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3932442/equanimeous-st-brown) led the team with seven targets and churned out four receptions for 48 yards. The Bears called designed runs for Fields nine times in the first half. [impromptu news conference](/nfl/story/_/id/34872205/bears-gm-ryan-poles-backs-justin-fields-encouraged-progress) hours before kickoff to address the state of the Bears nearing the midway point of the season. [Justin Fields](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4362887/justin-fields) energized the offense with his rushing ability, and not in typical fashion. The Bears' secondary is in good hands for years to come. By the end of the first half, Fields had the most rushes (12) and rushing yards (55) on designed runs for a game in his career, which included a 3-yard touchdown run. The last player to do so was The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with 10 days in between games.

The Bears' offense racked up 390 total yards and the defense forced four takeaways in a dominant 33-14 road win over the Patriots Monday night.

Fields took a pair of sacks on the drive, resulting in third-and-16, but Fields rolled right and found Mooney, who made a toe-tapping 17-yard grab on the left sideline to sustain the possession. Zappe fumbled on a handoff and Jones recovered the ball at the Patriots' 37. Fields and Mooney had another big connection on the drive, this time for 16 yards to reach the Patriots 39. On second-and-2, Montgomery pushed his way to the Patriots 3, using a spin move to gain an extra five yards after getting the first down. [Justin Fields](/team/players-roster/justin-fields/) led the offense with an impressive performance both through the air and on the ground. [Darnell Mooney](/team/players-roster/darnell-mooney/) for a 20-yard gain, then threw an 11-yard pass to receiver [Equanimeous St.

The Patriots entered "Monday Night Football" as 8.5-point favorites over the Bears, looking to win their third straight in Mac Jones' return to the lineup ...

The Bears (3-4) will hit the road for a Week 8 showdown with the Cowboys (5-2), who edged the Lions in Dak Prescott's first game back on Sunday. Trailing 17-14 with just 1:32 left in the first half, the Patriots had a chance to reclaim the lead driving from their own 39. But a botched hand-off from Zappe to Meyers put the ball on the ground, and Justin Jones recovered to give Chicago a bonus possession. Roquan Smith's heads-up play to pick off Zappe in the fourth all but sealed the deal, and Kyler Gordon's own INT just rubbed it in. They left with rookie Bailey Zappe back under center, and a Bill Belichick defense that got rolled over in the best performance of Justin Fields' young Bears career. So, the Bears will improve to 3-4.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones started Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears after missing the previous three due to injury, ...

The New England Patriots benched Mac Jones, and rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe led them on a touchdown drive against the Chicago Bears.

He then led the team down the field for seven more points to bring the Patriots back from a 10-point deficit. He finished the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jakobi Meyers. Mac Jones got the nod to start on Monday night against the Chicago Bears after missing the previous three weeks with a high ankle sprain.

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots' loss to the Bears as the Bailey Zappe vs. Mac Jones quarterback controversy persists.

Zappe and the New England offense continuing to huddle during the fourth quarter while trailing by three scores was a testament to that point. It appeared the season-saving two-week stretch would be punctuated with a payoff win against the Bears (a team that entered the game at 2-4 on the season). With a rookie quarterback in Zappe, New England’s defense seemed to thrive off the adversity. The Patriots don’t face another opponent that currently has a losing record until Dec. New England got off to a slow start and never found consistent footing as Chicago was able to run rampant. From that point on, Chicago’s defense was able to shut down New England.

Quarterback Justin Fields and the Chicago rushing offense keyed the Bears' lopsided win over the Patriots on Monday night.

Instead of quietly acknowledging a landmark victory in a Hall of Fame career, Belichick will instead spend the next week attempting to correct New England's many mistakes and reposition them for success following a game that stands as a clear setback for the 3-4 Patriots. [David Montgomery](https://www.nfl.com/players/david-montgomery/)and [Khalil Herbert](https://www.nfl.com/players/khalil-herbert/)revealed a potent one-two punch in the backfield, resulting in 124 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts. The Bears were also able to take a close game at halftime and turn it into a blowout, forcing two straight three-and-outs to start the second half while their offense tacked on six points via field goals. Two fourth-quarter interceptions punctuated a total team victory for the Bears, who will fly back to Chicago with wide smiles after recording the franchise's first win in Foxborough in its history. Jones started the game and struggled, completing 3 of 6 passes for 13 yards and an ugly interception, while Zappe's insertion jump-started New England's offense, leading to two touchdowns and a 14-10 lead in a game in which the Patriots lacked energy offensively prior to Zappe's arrival. Oddly enough, Chicago created virtually zero pressure against Zappe and Jones, yet the Bears were able to force turnovers with a defensive backfield that has two emerging studs in Chicago forced four turnovers on the night, intercepting Jones and Zappe three times and recovering a fumble that led to a key field goal just before the half. [Mac Jones](https://www.nfl.com/players/mac-jones/)with [Bailey Zappe](https://www.nfl.com/players/bailey-zappe/)was part of his game plan, but the immediate results and eventual decline suggest otherwise. For perhaps the first time in his career (unless we count last season's Monday night showing in Pittsburgh), Fields was consistently effective in key scenarios, helping the Bears convert 11 of 18 third-down attempts and gaining 10 of them via a Fields pass or run. It was only one game, but it sure felt like a turning point for this new staff and its young cast of playmakers. Fields completed 13 of 21 passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and one interception (off a deflection), and he also led the Bears in rushing with 82 yards and one touchdown on 14 attempts. Most importantly, Monday night felt like a long-awaited breakthrough for Fields and the Chicago offense.

Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe replaced Mac Jones on Monday to cheers from the New England Patriots crowd. It was hysteria when Zappe led the Patriots to a ...

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Jones, meanwhile, appeared hesitant in the pocket during his first snaps since suffering the ankle injury, finishing Monday's game 3 of 6 for 13 yards and a ...

Jones, meanwhile, appeared hesitant in the pocket during his first snaps since suffering the ankle injury, finishing Monday's game 3 of 6 for 13 yards and a pick. Struggling out of the gate against the [Bears](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CHI/chicago-bears/), the former first-round draft pick received a chorus of boos from the Gillette Stadium crowd after throwing an interception in the second quarter. [Mac Jones](/nfl/players/2741202/mac-jones/) returned to the field Monday night for the [Patriots](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/NE/new-england-patriots/), making his first start since exiting Week 3 with a high-ankle sprain.