PATRIOTS HANG ON TO TOPPLE BEARS
Chicago’s last-gasp Hail Mary on game’s final play comes up a yard short
Tom Brady threw for CHICAGO three touchdowns and the New England Patriots hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 38-31 Sunday when Kevin White got stopped at the one-yard-line on a 54-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky.
About four or five defenders swarmed White after he leaped to haul in that long heave and spun toward the goal-line. Some Bears players tried to push him across. But he got stopped just short of the goal-line, preserving the fourth straight win for New England.
“You hold your breath when I saw him jump up and catch it,” Brady said. “I didn’t have the angle on the goal-line. He was getting close to the end zone. They were pushing and we were pushing. It was probably a half yard or a yard, pretty close. Good for us to hold them out.”
As for White?
“Just tried to fight and get in,” he said. “Tried to change the game, make a big-time play. So after I caught it, I thought I had a chance, like I said, for a split-second and once I felt a bunch of guys I knew it was over.”
The Patriots (5-2) also got two special teams touchdowns and came out on top even though they were missing Rob Gronkowski.
The five-time Pro Bowl tight end missed the game because of ankle and back injuries. But New England squeezed past the Bears (3-3).
Brady improved to 5-0 against Chicago, one of five teams yet to beat him. He was 25 of 36 for 277 yards and an interception.
Cordarrelle Patterson ran a kickoff back 95 yards for his sixth career return TD. Dont’a Hightower blocked a punt and Kyle Van Noy returned it for a touchdown, becoming the first Patriots player to return a blocked punt for a touchdown in 22 years.
Josh Gordon caught four passes for 100 yards. He spun around a tackler on a 55-yarder early in the fourth that put the ball on the one-yard-line and set up a twoyard reception by James White to make it 38-24 with 8:40 left.
James White had 57 yards receiving and two TDs. He also ran for a team-high 40 yards.
Julian Edelman had a touchdown catch. Rookie running back Sony Michel left in the second quarter because of a knee injury.
But the Patriots beat the Bears for the eighth time in nine games since the 1985 team got routed in the Super Bowl.
Chicago has lost two in a row after winning three straight to take sole possession of the division lead for the first time since 2013. Star pass rusher Khalil Mack was largely a non-factor after being listed as questionable because of an ankle injury he suffered last week at Miami, and Trubisky struggled with his accuracy.
The second-year pro completed 26 of 50 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for a career-high 81 yards and a score.
Trey Burton had nine receptions for a career-high 126 yards, including an 11-yard TD with 4:13 remaining.
Michel had to be helped off the field after he got twisted around by Bilal Nichols as he was tackled on the first play of the second quarter.
He lost a fumble on the play and had to be helped to the sideline.
In the previous three games, Michel rushed for 316 yards and four touchdowns.