FOXBORO -- To paraphrase rapper LL Cool J, don't call it a statement.

Patriot players were evidently told to avoid calling yesterday's matchup against NFC leader Chicago a "statement game," preferring instead to label their hard-fought and at times ugly 17-13 victory over the Bears a good win against a good team.

"Oh man, I am not saying anything about the 'S' word," said cornerback Ellis Hobbs.

Hobbs wasn't the only one.

"It was an important win because it was our next game," defensive lineman Ty Warren said. "You can't dwell on games you've lost in the past. If we were looking in the rear-view mirror, this (win) probably wouldn't have happened."

Still, the Patriots were probably looking to say something with yesterday's result. Maybe it was "Don't write us off yet," maybe it was "We can win a game against a top team."

Heck, with a 2-3 home record entering the game, maybe they wanted to say "We will defend our turf."

Whatever they wanted to say, it didn't exactly come out as planned, kind of like the nervous sophomore trying to ask out the cutest girl in the senior class.

"That isn't exactly the way you draw them up, but we're happy with the win," coach Bill Belichick said after watching his team commit five turnovers against a team that gets over 40 percent of its points off takeaways.

But the Patriot defense matched that of the Bears nearly turnover-for-turnover, getting four takeaways of its own -- three on Asante Samuel interceptions.

And none of Samuel's interceptions was bigger than his last one, which sealed the win for New England in its first game playing on its new FieldTurf surface.

Facing third-and-5 at the Chicago 25, Tom Brady gave the ball to Corey Dillon. Dillon fought his way for three yards, but then had the ball forced out by Danieal Manning and Chicago recovered.

The Bears had just under two minutes to go 78 yards and into the end zone, but quarterback Rex Grossman went for almost all of those on first down, looking for Rashied Davis downfield.

Samuel stepped in front of Davis, pulling in the ball and becoming the first New England player in more than 20 years to record three picks in a regular-season game.

"He came up big today," safety Artrell Hawkins said of Samuel. "He had a Pro Bowl day straight up and down. He could have had five picks. He played the pass perfectly."

Offensively, while the Patriots certainly had their miscues, there were some good things as well. For the most part, Brady had plenty of time in the pocket against a strong defensive line. New England converted 7-of-16 third-down tries against a team that had previously had an over 70 percent success rate in such situations. Also, the Pats were the first team to get more than 300 total yards against the Bears this year, with 269 yards passing and 85 more on the ground.

Still, however, thanks to a defensive pass interference call on Hawkins, the game came down to a final drive from Brady, something not seen very much this season.

Two short gains by Benjamin Watson and Laurence Maroney had the Pats facing third-and-3 at their own 34. Brady eluded Bears lineman Tommie Harris before throwing across his body and finding Watson near the left sideline for a 40-yard gain. A double-reverse that ended up in Chad Jackson's hands resulted in an eight-yard loss, and Kevin Faulk's franchise record-breaking 262nd career reception left New England with third-and-9.

That's when Brady took off, pulling the ball down and putting a shimmy-shake on Brian Urlacher for an 11-yard gain.

The move was quite unexpected for Brady, who isn't exactly known for his footwork.

"That was from a kid who can't run out of sight in a week," Pats center Dan Koppen quipped.

Five plays later, the Pats got the game-winning touchdown, Brady faking the handoff to Maroney and finding a wide-open Watson in the end zone. Watson held onto the ball as tight as possible. Earlier in the game, he made a red-zone catch but took a hard hit from Todd Johnson that popped the ball up into the air. Bears corner Charles Tillman came down with the ball.

Watson said he apologized to Brady for the mistake, and his quarterback told him not to worry about it.

"He said he'll come back to me and he has confidence in me," Watson (6 receptions, 89 yards, TD) said, adding of the touchdown, "Thank God I got one and thank God I was able to (make amends) for my mistakes in the game."

For the Bears, who watched Brady lead the Pats back from a 21-point deficit the last time these teams played, in 2002, it was more first-hand displays of his talent.

"Brady is a prime-time player in this league," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "Ultimate poise. That guy back there is just poised. This is what he does best."

smanza@projo.com / (401) 277-7340