‘Monday Night Football’ Doesn’t Go as Planned for the New England Patriots

Posted on: October 25, 2022, 06:30h. 

Last updated on: October 25, 2022, 12:24h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

The Chicago Bears wanted a break as they took the field to face the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football (MNF). They got it in an unexpected way, forcing bettors to throw the book on betting strategies out the window.

Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert (24) celebrates with teammates during Monday Night Football. The Bears decimated the New England Patriots in an upset. (Image: USA Today)

The Bears scored their first road victory of the NFL season on Monday, defeating the Patriots 33-14 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Bears quarterback Justin Fields finished with 179 yards on 13-of-21 passing, as Chicago ended its three-game streak of road losses.

Chicago improved to 3-4 with the win, having gone into the game as underdogs. New England fell to 3-4 on a dismal, foggy night for Bill Belichick’s team.

Pats Can’t Find the End Zone

The buildup to Monday’s game was dominated by discussion around the Patriots’ quarterbacks. Starter Mac Jones was back in the lineup after missing three games with a sprained ankle, games in which Bailey Zappe deftly filled his shoes.

Jones had a short night under center after he first kicked Bears safety Jaquan Brisker in the groin while sliding to give himself up. Brisker, who left the game for a few moments following the incident, returned to action and promptly exacted his revenge by picking off a pass from Jones directed toward Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith.

The Pats were already trailing 10–0 following a rushing touchdown by Fields and a field goal by Cairo Santos. The exit by Jones paved the way for the return of Zappe. Suddenly, there was a major shift in momentum as he led New England on back-to-back scoring drives to take a 14-10 lead.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1584743192104030208

That was the only time the pendulum swung in the Pats’ direction. Chicago reasserted itself, with Fields finding wide receiver Khalil Herbert for a 25-yard reception and TD. On a subsequent drive, Santos then added a field goal to make it 20-14 for the Bears at halftime.

Two more field goals by Santos in the third quarter put the Bears up 26-14, and New England was never able to respond offensively. Running back David Montgomery then added a 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to seal Chicago’s victory.

The loss was doubly disappointing for Belichick. He takes any defeat personally, but the Bears’ loss kept him from becoming the second-winningest coach in NFL history.

Belichick remains tied with the late George Halas – founder and a former head coach of the Bears – with 324 wins. Don Shula continues in first place with 347 wins.

MNF Breaks Betting Rules

Heading into MNF, everything about the matchup seemed to favor the Patriots. The Bears’ recent performances and losses against what should have been weaker teams kept Chicago from getting a lot of support from oddsmakers.

The Bears have struggled, but the offense has still been able to move the ball. It’s because of this that the game was expected to beat the over/under. But that failed as well.

DraftKings and all other sportsbooks had the Pats as the clear winner. Some 88% of the wagers and 85% of the money backed New England at DraftKings, according to data analyst Cassie Buontempo.

The 12% of bettors who went for the Bears made out like bandits. But the entire betting world took notice. The Bears face the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) next in an important NFC battle, while the Pats will look to cut their losses against the 5-2 New York Jets.