FOXBORO -- Asante Samuel had a hunch what kind of a day Sunday was going to be.

"They like to go deep,'' the Pats' cornerback said of Sunday's opponent, the Chicago Bears, "and it was something we were expecting.''

He certainly was.

On the Bears' first possession, Samuel stepped in front of a Rex Grossman pass intended for Bernard Berrien and intercepted it at the Chicago 39-yard line. It might have led to a Patriots score had Tom Brady not thrown an interception of his own near the goal line five plays later.

In the third quarter, with the Pats holding a 10-3 lead but the Bears driving, Samuel picked off a pass intended for Desmond Clark at the Patriots' 7-yard line and returned it 27 yards.

And finally, in the final two minutes, Samuel clinched it for the Pats by snaring a Grossman heave down the middle of the field intended for Rashied Davis, giving New England possession and ending the Bears' last hope.

The three-interception game -- the first of Samuel's career and the first by a Pats defensive back since Ty Law picked off Peyton Manning three times in the 2003 AFC Championship Game -- wasn't the entire story. Samuel also led both teams in tackles, with nine.

"It was prime time,'' said Samuel, who leads the Pats in interceptions this year with six, "against the team with the best record.''

Prime time indeed -- and Samuel responded in kind.

"Asante played at a Pro-Bowl level," said defensive end Richard Seymour. "We needed that. We needed our secondary to step up, and it made some big-time plays for us.

"[Samuel] is a real talented guy, so it's no surprise the type of performance he had [Sunday],'' added Seymour. "He doesn't surprise the guys on the football team. We definitely know he has the talent and he can get it done on any given Sunday. He showed up at the right time for us, and we'll continue to look for big things from him."

Joe McDonald contributed to this report.