Final, Patriots 23-22: That will do it for preseason game No. 2.
Third-string Bears quarterback Connor Shaw closes out the game by finding B.J. Daniels in the back of the end zone with no time remaining. A sucessful two-point conversion officially seals things.
Next up for the Patriots is a trip to Carolina next Friday to take on the Panthers.
Fourth quarter, 2:25, Patriots 23-14: A would-be touchdown pass bounces off Devin Lucien’s hands, and a seven-play Patriots drive ends in a punt.
(Lucien was called for offensive pass interference on the play, anyway. The rookie has been targeted four times tonight but has yet to bring down a catch.)
Fourth quarter, 6:47, Patriots 23-14: A 23-yard pass from Hoyer to Josh Bellamy on third down helps set up a Robbie Gould field goal.
Darryl Roberts, who’s had a productive night in the Patriots’ secondary, came up with his third pass breakup of the night during the drive.
Fourth quarter, 9:05, Patriots 23-11: Brissett is unable to get the Patriots out of their own end, and Ryan Allen is forced to punt it away. The Bears take over just shy of midfield.
Fourth quarter, 9:56, Patriots 23-11: Bears tight end Rob Housler hauled in a pass over the middle, shook off attempted arm tackles by Jordan Richards and Cedric Thompson and rumbled all the way to the Patriots’ 5-yard line.
New England tightened up in the red zone, though, forcing Brian Hoyer into a four-and-out that gave the ball back to Brissett at his own 2.
End of third quarter, Patriots 23-11: The Pats lead it by 12 with one quarter left to play.
Third quarter, 0:35, Patriots 23-11: The Patriots responded with their own three-and-out after a 4-yard carry, incomplete pass and sack.
Third quarter, 2:00, Patriots 23-11: This might sound ridiculous, since we’re talking about the preseason, but it’s going to be tough for teams to compete with the Patriots’ depth this summer. This roster is loaded. New England just forced another three-and-out.
Third quarter, 3:10, Patriots 23-11: Brissett went 4 of 5 for 50 yards in his first drive of the game. He connected on 26- and 10-yard passes to tight end A.J. Derby.
The Patriots settled for a field goal to cap the drive.
Third quarter, 9:10, Patriots 20-11: The Patriots forced a three-and-out. Rookie QB Jacoby Brissett is in the game for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Third quarter, 10:40, Patriots 20-11: The Patriots were driving down the field until Jimmy Garoppolo threw an ill-advised pass that was almost picked off by Bears linebacker John Timu on third down.
The Patriots had to settle for a field goal.
End half, Patriots 17-11: The Bears took a knee to end the half.
Early stars have been QB Jimmy Garoppolo (12-16, 123 yards, touchdown) and DT Anthony Johnson (.5 sack, tackle for loss, hurry).
Second quarter, 0:17, Patriots 17-11: Jimmy Garoppolo gave Patriots fans reason to be excited after leading his team on a successful two-minute drill. Garoppolo went 5 of 7 for 57 yards with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end A.J. Derby. He then hit Chris Hogan for a two-point conversion.
Second quarter, 1:42, Bears 11-9: Defensive tackle Anthony Johnson, thought to be a longshot to make the roster, is showing up big tonight. He had a tackle for loss and hurry in the last defensive series, forcing the Bears to punt.
Second quarter, 2:55, Bears 11-9: The Patriots didn’t take long to score. Garoppolo dumped it off to James White for 14 yards, then LeGarrette Blount pounded it in for a touchdown.
Second quarter, 3:44, Bears 11-3: Well, that was quick. Rookie CB Cyrus Jones picked off Brian Hoyer’s first pass, and the Patriots have the ball on the Bears’ 15 yard line.
Second quarter, 3:52, Bears 11-3: The Patriots got within 1 yard of the end zone this time but couldn’t quite pound the ball in with Tyler Gaffney. The Patriots’ offensive line wasn’t able to get a consistent push. They settled for a field goal.
Garoppolo is 6 of 7 for 52 yards. His lone incompletion came on an Aaron Dobson drop.
Second quarter, 9:10, Bears 11-0: The Patriots forced a three-and-out after nice plays by Malcom Brown, Trey Flowers and Anthony Johnson. Flowers and Johnson combined for a sack on third down, forcing a punt.
Second quarter, 11:19, Bears 11-0: The Patriots were 5 yards away from a touchdown when running back Brandon Bolden was stripped by Bears cornerback Tracy Porter. Porter also recovered the football, and the Bears now have the ball on their own 5-yard line.
First quarter, 2:33, Bears 11-0: We’re 12 minutes deep into this game, and the Patriots have run three offensive plays.
The Patriots’ defense let up a 34-yard run to Jeremy Langford on a nice play fake by Cutler, who handed the ball off but rolled out of the pocket like it was a bootleg pass.
Langford ran the ball in for a 5-yard touchdown, then the Patriots let up a two-point conversion.
First quarter, 7:43, Bears 3-0: The Patriots went three and out after two carries by LeGarrette Blount and a drop by Aaron Dobson.
First quarter, 8:59, Bears 3-0: The Bears settled for a field goal after a penalty-plagued drive to start the game. Jay Cutler was 5 of 6 for 63 yards. Patriots cornerback Justin Coleman gave up 49 of those yards. He drew a tough assignment to start, lining up across from Alshon Jeffery.
First quarter, 15:00: The Bears won the toss and chose to receive. The Patriots will kick to start the game.
8 p.m.: Here’s the starting offense, per pregame announcements:
WR Chris Hogan
LT Nate Solder
LG Joe Thuney
C David Andrwes
RG Josh Kline
RT Marcus Cannon
TE Martellus Bennett
WR Aaron Dobson
RB Tyler Gaffney
RB LeGarrette Blount
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
7:37 p.m.: It appears Brady will not play tonight. He was walking to the player parking lot in dress clothes, according to our own Gary Striewski.
7:32 p.m.: Here’s who was not on the field for the Patriots during warmups, which usually indicates they won’t play:
WR Julian Edelman
QB Tom Brady
WR Malcolm Mitchell
CB Logan Ryan
RB D.J. Foster
RB Dion Lewis
RB Donald Brown
TE Bryce Williams
WR Danny Amendola
WR Keshawn Martin
TE Rob Gronkowski
DE Rob Ninkovich
DE Shea McClellin
G Tre’ Jackson
G Jonathan Cooper
G Shaq Mason
OT Sebastian Vollmer
DE Jabaal Sheard
DT Alan Branch
Bill Belichick said Brady will play tonight, but team president Jonathan Kraft said he doesn’t believe he will.
5:37 p.m.: Alan Branch told teammates he’s been suspended.
4:49 p.m.: It appears WR Danny Amendola, CB Logan Ryan, ST/WR Matthew Slater, DE Rob Ninkovich, LB/DE Shea McClellin and S/ST Nate Ebner won’t play tonight.
Also, Dion Lewis still exists. So, that’s positive news.
4:35 p.m.: Looking for some pregame reading? Check out five positional battles to watch tonight.
Looking for pregame listening? Check out our Bears-Patriots preview podcast with the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer.
4:30 p.m.: I have arrived at Gillette Stadium for tonight’s game.
3 p.m.: Tom Brady will play against the Bears tonight, a source told the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe on Thursday afternoon. Brady will start the game, according to CSNNE.com’s Tom E. Curran.
It’s likely Jimmy Garoppolo will play the majority of the first half, however, before handing over the reins to rookie Jacoby Brissett.
12:45 p.m. ET: We still don’t know whether quarterback Tom Brady will play tonight, but it seems we will see the preseason debut of another key member of the New England Patriots’ offense against the Chicago Bears.
Brady is expected to receive “little to no snaps” against the Bears, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday afternoon. Wide receiver Chris Hogan, however, shed his red non-contact jersey this week and looks primed to play against the Bears after sitting out last week against the New Orleans Saints.
We also could see wide receiver Julian Edelman, who was a full participant in practice Tuesday and Wednesday. It might be smart to hold Edelman out of the preseason altogether, however, as a precautionary measure. Linebacker Jonathan Freeny and defensive tackles Anthony Johnson and Frank Kearse also could suit up after sitting out last week.
Here’s a projected injury report for Thursday’s game:
OUT (didn’t practice Wednesday)
RB Dion Lewis (PUP)
G Tre’ Jackson (PUP)
WR Danny Amendola (PUP)
OT Sebastian Vollmer (PUP)
G Jonathan Cooper
TE Rob Gronkowski
DE Jabaal Sheard
DE Shea McClellin
DOUBTFUL (limited in practice Wednesday)
WR Malcolm Mitchell
DE Rob Ninkovich
WR Keshawn Martin
RB D.J. Foster
RB Donald Brown
TE Bryce Williams
S Nate Ebner
CB Logan Ryan (red non-contact jersey)
The Patriots could elect to hold out Edelman, Kearse and Johnson for a second straight week. Tight end Clay Harbor also was banged up in practice this week but returned Wednesday.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m ET and airs locally on WBZ-TV.
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Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images