The Chicago Bears are off to a hot start with Caleb Williams back in the saddle. After beating the Atlanta Falcons 31-25, the Bears have their sights set on the New England Patriots and Drake Maye on Thursday Night Football.
On the First Things First Show, the hosts discussed the upcoming TNF matchup between the Bears and the Patriots. In that discussion, one host pointed out one thing that has the potential to skew the results in the Bears’ favor.
Here’s the good news:
“I want to back the team that’s going to make fewer mistakes,” Danny Parkins said. “Turnovers since the start of last year: Caleb, fifth-best in the NFL, Drake Maye, the most among quarterbacks who qualify.”
Coach Mangini breaks down why he trusts the Patriots more than the Bears on Thursday:
“Caleb has a lot of superpowers, but at the top of the list seems to be that he doesn’t give the ball to the other team.”
In the video clip shared on social media, they shared the actual number of turnovers each quarterback has had since the start of the 2025 season. Williams has 14, while Maye has 28, which is double Williams.
The Chicago Bears Advantage Over Drake Maye and the New England Patriots
The two hosts then went back and forth about the important of possession and how taking care of the football is the biggest priority.
“The fumble against the Vikings we can excuse; they are the best in the NFL at taking it away, but his (D’Andre Swift’s) fumble in the next game was egregious,” Parkins continued. “They are very different in terms of offensive coach-defensive coach, but I feel like they are similar in their willingness to call out their teams.”
“It’s the reality,” Coach Mangini responds. “As you analyze the myriad of stats that you can analyze, nothing is more important than the turnover differential in terms of determining outcomes of games.”
“When you are doing what New England has been doing, and especially Drake Maye, it’s not just the picks; it’s the ball on the ground (all of those things). You’re just throwing games away…if it doesn’t stop, it’s going to end their season.”
Chicago Bears Aren’t Letting Injuries Slow Them Down
Despite having several injuries during Week 6, they still came out on top of the Falcons. With Williams back in the fold, the Bears looked like their swagger was back on Sunday.
The latest injury report for the Bears showed one change from Monday to Tuesday: Jonah Jackson going from DNP to limited.
This is good news for the Bears.
Before Wednesday’s injury update, only T.J. Edwards, Kyle Monangai, and Jack Sanborn were potentially out for Thursday night’s game.
The Chicago Bears conducted a walk-thru on Tuesday, participation is an estimation.
Between having a healthy defensive line, and facing a quarterback who has a tendency to turn over the ball, it’s all good news for the Bears.
Chicago Bears Dealt Good News on Drake Maye Ahead of TNF