The Chicago Bears defense was already mentally in the tunnel to end the first half on Thursday against the New England Patriots.
The Bears were one stop away from entering the halftime break with a 20-7 lead at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. The Patriots had possession near midfield with just seconds left on the clock.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw a short pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson just barely past the line of scrimmage. The clock was already at zero when he got his hands on the ball.
The Bears had 48 yards of space to tackle Stevenson but failed miserably to prevent him from cruising all the way to the end zone for a touchdown.
THE DUMP OFF TURNS INTO A TOUCHDOWN PATRIOTS STUN THE BEARS AT THE END OF THE HALF https://t.co/nvwthLQWRK
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 23, 2026
Chicago’s defense seemed far too wary of a lateral that it forgot to focus on the man with the pigskin. It didn’t help that cornerback Kyler Gordon ran into safety Dillon Thieneman, which opened a lane for Stevenson to rumble into the end zone.
Much has been made about the Bears’ offense this season. But their defense clearly needs some work when it’s giving up 48-yard touchdowns on dump-off passes near midfield.
