Ben Johnson walked into Tuesday with a clear message for the Bears: Drake Maye is playing like a quarterback who can hurt a defense in two different ways, and Thursday night is the first time Johnson will have to deal with him from the other sideline. Johnson said Maye is an elite deep-ball thrower who can also crush a defense with his legs, calling that mix deadly.
That is why the matchup is drawing attention now. The Bears and Patriots meet on Thursday night, and Johnson’s scouting report lands after Maye has started turning his season around. Over his last three games, he has thrown 11 touchdowns this season, with 1,463 passing yards, 63.9 percent completions and seven interceptions overall, while adding 185 rushing yards and one TD on the ground.
Maye’s recent surge has been especially loud. He threw for 374 yards with four touchdowns against Las Vegas in Week 5, then followed that with 235 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s victory over the Jets. Johnson pointed to that stretch as proof that the Patriots offense has picked up steam, saying it has produced points in bunches during a three-game winning streak and a ton of explosive plays.
That is the part that makes the film harder to ignore for the Bears. Maye did not start the season cleanly, but he has looked sharper over the last three games, especially the last two, and Johnson said he is a big challenge because of what he can do both inside and outside the pocket. He also credited Josh McDaniels with putting players in the right spots and keeping the offense functional even if the line is banged up, which helps explain why the Patriots keep finding ways to create big plays.
The first answer now belongs to the Bears: how do they keep Maye from beating them deep without giving him space to run? If Johnson’s read is right, Thursday night will not be about stopping one skill. It will be about surviving both at once.
