The Chicago Bears put together their most complete performance of the season in a 33-14 blowout win over the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Chicago came into this game on a three-game losing streak, including a horrible 12-7 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 6. On the other hand, New England was riding high after two straight dominant wins over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. This led to the Patriots entering Monday night's game at Gillette Stadium as 8.5-point favorites.

Instead, the Bears came out swinging and got themselves back in the win column. Chicago scored 23 unanswered points to close the game and shut out New England in the second half. The offense did its job, with Justin Fields looking like a legitimate dual-threat quarterback, and the defense played lights-out to lead the Bears to the upset.

With how wide open the NFC is this season, the Bears are hanging around in the playoff picture. At 3-4, they are tied with the Green Bay Packers for second in the NFC North, although catching the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings will be a tough ask. They are also only half a game back of the final NFC Wild Card spot.

Before anyone can think about playoffs, though, let's take a look at some key takeaways from Chicago's big win.

3. Cairo Santos is automatic

Since rejoining the Bears in 2020, Santos has been one of the most automatic kickers in football. He made a strong impression in 2020, making 30-of-32 field goals and 36-of-37 extra points. He took a slight dip in 2021, but still made 26-of-30 field goals and 27-of-28 extra points.

So far in 2022, Santos is having the best year of his career.  He is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goals, with Daniel Carlson of the Las Vegas Raiders being the only other starting kicker with a perfect mark this season. He has also shown the power along with his accuracy, with four field goals from 50 yards or more.

The Bears have had their share of devastating losses due to special teams mistakes, including the infamous “double doink.” As long as Santos continues to be automatic, that won't happen this season.

2. Khalil Herbert is Chicago's best running back

David Montgomery has been the top running back in Chicago for a few years now, but Khalil Herbert may take that title sooner rather than later.

Both players finished with 62 rushing yards on Monday, but Herbert did it on three fewer carries. Herbert also had an impact in the passing game, taking a screen pass 25 yards to the house in the second quarter. Although Montgomery had a rushing touchdown and Herbert didn't, it was just a 1-yard score that padded Chicago's lead in the fourth quarter.

This game continued the trend of Herbert being the more effective runner. He has 464 rushing yards while averaging 6.2 yards per carry this season, while Montgomery has 308 yards and four yards per carry. Montgomery did miss a game due to injury, but Herbert has still been much more efficient.

For an offense that has struggled for years, Herbert has been a big bright spot. He could shine even more with a larger workload, and the Bears need to give it to him.

1. The Bears' defense is pretty solid

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Chicago's defense had a stellar performance on Monday night. The Bears held the Patriots to 12 first downs and 260 total yards, including just 70 on the ground. Most impressively, though, they forced four turnovers on the night, including three interceptions.

Unsurprisingly, star linebacker Roquan Smith led the charge for Chicago's defense. He led the team with 12 total tackles and added a tackle for loss, sack, pass defended and interception as well. The former eighth overall pick now leads the league with 78 total tackles on the season.

Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker also continued his impressive rookie campaign with another strong showing on Monday. The second-round pick out of Penn State had seven total tackles, a pass defended and his first career interception in this game. With such a strong start to his career, Brisker should be a cornerstone of the Bears' defense for years to come.

The Bears don't have high expectations this season, but the defense is keeping them in games. If this unit can continue to impress, Chicago may just surprise people this season, especially if Fields can build on his strong showing as the coaching staff devised a strong game plan to take advantage of his strengths.