Thursday night in Chicago handed the 2026 season its cleanest star showcase yet: Caleb Williams outdueled Drake Maye in a 30-24 Bears win, rookie receiver Luther Burden III went over 100 yards for the second straight week, and the loss of tight end Cole Kmet reshaped the Bears depth chart before sunrise. This week's star board sorts every line that mattered — and points to where the big names go next.
How This Star Board Was Built
Star power is easy to hype and hard to grade, so this board keeps the rules boring. A name earns a spot on the Week 7 board only when the box score, the game context and the days that follow all point the same way. A brilliant half gets partial credit. A season-changing injury counts too, because star boards are not only about highlights.
Three reference points frame everything below:
- The headliner is set: the Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 on Thursday night at Soldier Field, moving Chicago to 5-2 and dropping New England to 4-3.
- Most of the league still has to play: twelve more Week 7 games run through Sunday and Monday night, with the Bills, Jaguars, Chargers and Commanders on bye.
- Every score, stat and transaction below comes from confirmed results through Thursday night; nothing is projected and nothing is guessed.
Caleb Williams Ran Thursday Night
One week after returning from a hamstring injury, Caleb Williams put together the sharpest road-block removal job of his young career. Facing a Patriots defense that arrived on a three-game winning streak, he finished 22-of-33 for 308 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover, and his second-quarter strike to Luther Burden III just before halftime swung the whole game. New England never led again.
What stands out is not the yardage — Maye actually threw for more — but the shape of it. Williams was nearly perfect over the middle of the field, where the Patriots' zone coverage kept leaking, and the Bears' 163 yards after the catch tell you how often his throws arrived where runners could work. Chicago jumped ahead 10-0 on a Cairo Santos field goal and a short D'Andre Swift touchdown run, and the offense never had to chase.
The supporting cast turned the night into a coming-out party. Burden III caught all four of his targets for 130 yards and a score, giving him 12 catches for 225 yards in two games since Williams returned — the kind of two-game run that turns a role player into a fixture. Tight end Colston Loveland, already the featured pass-catcher at the position, drew a season-high 12 targets and turned them into seven catches, 69 yards and a 12-yard touchdown, his second scoring game in a row after going without one through the first five weeks.
And then there was the kicker nobody drafts in fantasy and everybody remembers in October. Santos drilled three field goals, including a career-best 58-yarder with 1:34 left that pushed the lead to 30-21 — one possession after he pushed a 53-yard attempt wide. Ice on both kicks is the difference between a nervous finish and a recovered onside kick running out the clock.
The Box Score: Every Star Line That Mattered
Thursday night packed six starting-caliber performances into one game. Here is the full board, from Soldier Field, with the takeaway that matters for the weeks ahead:
| Player, team | Thursday night line | The takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams, Bears | 22-of-33, 308 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT | Won the duel with zero turnovers; a 116.7 rating in his second game back from injury. |
| Luther Burden III, Bears | 4 catches, 130 yards, 1 TD | 12 catches for 225 yards in two games — the breakout is no longer a sample. |
| Drake Maye, Patriots | 24-of-31, 321 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT | A season-high 77.4% completion rate, and 11-of-12 for 151 yards against pressure. |
| Colston Loveland, Bears | 7 catches, 69 yards, 1 TD on 12 targets | Back-to-back games with a touchdown, and his role only grows from here. |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots | 5 catches, 93 yards, 48-yard TD | His catch-and-run touchdown at the end of the first half kept New England alive. |
| Cairo Santos, Bears | 3 field goals, career-best 58-yarder | Answered a miss from 53 with the longest kick of his career to seal it. |
Two names on the board deserve a second look. Burden's rise is structural, not lucky: Chicago moved on from a high-priced veteran receiver in the offseason, and the second-year wideout has been fed safe, quick throws he keeps turning into chunk gains. Loveland's line matters just as much for what comes next, which we will get to in a moment.
Drake Maye Lost the Duel, Not the Spotlight
It says here that Maye played well enough to win most weeks. He completed a season-high 77.4% of his passes, crossed 300 yards for the second straight start, added a rushing touchdown, and was nearly flawless when the pocket collapsed: 11-of-12 for 151 yards and a score against pressure. The problem was one throw — a second-quarter end-zone interception, his third of the season in that exact spot, which erased guaranteed points and handed Chicago the momentum for good.
Around him, the supporting cast had moments worth remembering. Stevenson's 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the first-half clock hit zero was the play of the night for New England, and rookie tight end Eli Raridon added three catches for 56 yards and a 30-yard score. Hunter Henry led the team with seven receptions. The defense, on the other hand, missed 16 tackles — its most in a game since last season's Super Bowl — and the special teams failed to recover the final onside kick that would have given Maye one more possession.
The schedule offers a soft landing: the Patriots host the winless Dolphins next week. If Maye cleans up the red-zone throws, this loss ages like a footnote rather than a fork in the road.
The Star Chicago Lost: Cole Kmet's Season Ends
Not every board entry is a highlight. Kmet, the longest-tenured Bear, suffered a serious right knee injury late in the fourth quarter when he was hit after an 8-yard reception, and testing on Friday confirmed what the team feared: his season is over, and he has been placed on injured reserve.
The numbers make the loss look small — 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown this year — but the role does not. Kmet has missed just one game in seven professional seasons, does the blocking work that powers Chicago's heavier personnel groups, and ranks near the top of every franchise receiving list for tight ends. Head coach Ben Johnson called him a glue guy and a big part of the team's heartbeat, and Williams told reporters he would be there for Kmet through every step of the recovery.
Football-wise, the ripple effect lands on the names above: Loveland becomes the clear focal point at tight end, rookie Sam Roush steps into a larger role, and the practice squad call-ups follow. For star watchers, the next month of Chicago film is really a Loveland showcase.
A Star Changes Sides: DeAndre Hopkins Lands in Kansas City
The trade wire delivered its own star move this week. Per NFL.com's league roundup on Friday, the Tennessee Titans sent veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs, placing a proven, big-body target next to Patrick Mahomes just as Kansas City prepares for the toughest primetime test on its schedule.
Timing is everything on this board. The 5-0 Chiefs travel to Seattle for Sunday night's showdown against the 3-3 Seahawks, who have dropped three straight after a championship season and are still finding their footing. The matchup inside the matchup is worth the price of admission: Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, who entered the week leading the league in rushing, against a Kansas City defense that has yet to lose. Hopkins may need a few weeks to absorb the playbook, but his arrival changes how defenses have to line up on third down immediately.
Where the Stars Go Next
Twelve more Week 7 games run through Monday night, and several carry direct star-board consequences:
- Sunday morning brings an international game in Saint-Denis: the Steelers, 4-2, meet the Saints, 2-4, in Paris.
- The 6-0 49ers, the league's last unbeaten team alongside no one, visit the 2-4 Falcons, while the 4-2 Ravens host the 3-2 Bengals in an AFC North heavyweight check.
- The 5-0 Vikings host the Colts, the 4-2 Packers visit the 3-2 Lions, and Monday night sends the 2-4 Cowboys to the 2-4 Eagles in a desperation bowl between two proud franchises.
One scheduling note for anyone tracking the names above: the Bears do not play again until they visit the defending champion Seahawks on Monday night, November 2 — the same Seattle stage where Sunday's nightcap will be played, and a neat preview of how Chicago's rebuilt receiver hierarchy travels.
Jersey Logic: Names Worth Wearing Right Now
A star board should end where a fan's decision begins. Thursday night moved several jersey-value needles:
- Caleb Williams — a franchise quarterback in his second season, winning primetime games without turnovers. His jersey is as safe a buy as the NFC offers right now.
- Luther Burden III — the fastest-rising name on the board. Two straight 100-yard games make the rookie-price window close fast.
- Drake Maye — the stats say star, the turnovers say wait one more month. Either way, the floor is already elite.
Loveland belongs on the watch list too: with Kmet out for the season, the first-round tight end's targets should keep climbing, and tight end jerseys tend to age well when the production is built on volume rather than big plays. The safest purchases remain quarterbacks and the names already on this board; the riskiest are depth pieces whose roles depend on someone else's health.
Shop the Jerseys in This Story
One card for each fan base on this week's star board — the two Thursday night teams, the Chiefs who just traded for a star receiver, and the Seahawks waiting for Sunday night. Every card opens the product page directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Week 7 Thursday night game?
The Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30-24 at Soldier Field on October 22. Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, Cairo Santos added a career-best 58-yard field goal, and the Bears recovered the final onside kick to run out the clock.
What happened to Bears tight end Cole Kmet?
Kmet suffered a serious right knee injury in the fourth quarter of the win over New England and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. He had caught 10 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in 2026, and had missed only one game across his first seven professional seasons.
Was Drake Maye's performance still a good one?
Statistically, yes. Maye completed a season-high 77.4% of his passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns, ran for another score, and was 11-of-12 for 151 yards against pressure. The costly mistake was a second-quarter end-zone interception, his third of the season in that situation, which swung a six-point game.
Which star names are trending for jersey buyers after Week 7?
Caleb Williams, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland all strengthened their cases in one night, Drake Maye's floor remains elite despite the loss, and DeAndre Hopkins's move to Kansas City gives collectors a new marquee name to track. Volume-based names like Loveland tend to hold value best once their roles are locked in.