CHICAGO — The Jets may talk about how they’ve been competitive in every game, and how that has to be considered progress after going 3-14 a year ago.
uncertain
that → talk → game
They may argue that they should be 2-2 at worst and maybe even 3-1 right now.
uncertain
they → argue → ?
Take flight with the Jets
Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.
asserted
he → take → field
Bears (3-1) can make a point that they should have won Sunday’s game 43-12 instead of 23-12 with the way they utterly dominated the Jets.
asserted
they → make → Jets
Chicago outgained the Jets, 492 to 157 in total yards, produced 34 first downs to seven for the Jets, 232 rushing yards to 59 for the Jets.
asserted
Chicago → outgaine → Jets
Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, out of Shepard University in West Virginia and who hadn’t started a game since 2023, badly outplayed Jets quarterback Geno Smith.
asserted
who → start → Smith
Smith, who’d played three crisp and clean games entering the game, having completed 75.5 percent of his passes, looked completely out of sorts on Sunday, finishing just 8-of-15 for 119 yards, 58 of which came on his only TD pass.
asserted
58 → play → pass
Bagent, meanwhile, finished 25 of 34 for 268 yards.
asserted
Bagent → finish → yards
Considering the numbers, the Jets had to be ecstatic to enter the halftime locker room trailing only 13-3.
asserted
Jets → consider → room
Through the first 30 minutes of what was a somewhat bizarre first half, the Bears ran 46 plays to only 12 for the Jets.
asserted
Bears → run → Jets
The Bears amassed 274 total yards to just 34 for the Jets, 17 first downs to two for the Jets.
asserted
Bears → amass → Jets
The Jets had more penalties in the first half than first downs.
asserted
Jets → have → downs
Chicago ran the ball 29 times for 112 yards in the first half.
asserted
Chicago → run → half
While Geno Smith was 3 of 8 for 18 yards and didn’t look sharp at all, Bears backup quarterback Bagent, who started in place of Caleb Williams (out with a hamstring injury), completed 16-of-22 for 170 yards.
asserted
who → look → yards
The only positive to come out of the first half for the Jets was safety Minkah Fitzpatrick ending their record-setting interception drought when he picked off Bagent in the second quarter.
asserted
he → come → quarter
It was the Jets first INT in 21 games, spanning 535 passing attempts.
asserted
It → span → attempts
The last Jets INT came by Ashtyn Davis in the season 2024 finale.
asserted
INT → come → finale
The Fitzpatrick pick set up the Jets only points of the first half, on a 36-yard Jason Sanders field goal.
asserted
pick → set → goal
The Bears took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard scoring run by former Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai on fourth-and-goal with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
asserted
Bears → take → quarter
The Bears appeared to have taken that 7-0 lead earlier, on their first possession, when D’Andre Swift appeared to have scored on a fourth–and-goal run from the Jets 1-yard line.
But the replay review showed that Swift’s elbow was down after the initial tackle by Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens.
asserted
elbow → appear → Stephens
The Bears took a 10-3 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Cairo Santos with 2:29 remaining in the first half, and they made it 13-3 on a 30-yard Santos field goal on the final play of the half.
asserted
it → take → half
The Jets, determined to make something of the opening possession of the second half, drove the ball to the Chicago 33-yard line before Smith was sacked by Devin Bush for an eight-yard loss on third and, pushing them out of field goal range.
asserted
Smith → make → range
A forced fumble by Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood on Swift, gave the Jets possession on the Chicago 28-yard line with 8:46 remaining in the third quarter.
But again, the Jets offense could muster only a 30-yard Sanders field goal out of the turnover, cutting the Bears lead to 13-6 with seven minutes to go in the third.
uncertain
offense → force → third
The Bears made it 20-6 on a 5-yard scoring run by Monangai with 2:26 remaining in the third quarter.
asserted
it → make → quarter
A 21-yard Santos field goal with 10:03 remaining gave Chicago a 23-6 lead.
asserted
goal → remain → lead
At that point in the game, Chicago had run 71 plays to 30 for the Jets, gained 432 yards of offense to 59 for the Jets, had 28 first downs to five for the Jets.
asserted
Chicago → run → Jets
The Bears had 41 rushing attempts for 201 yards.
asserted
Bears → have → yards
The Jets added a garbage-time TD on a 58-yard Smith scoring pass to Isaiah Williams with 9:16 remaining.
asserted
Jets → add → 9:16
After the Sanders extra point missed wide right, the Bears lead was 23-12.
asserted
lead → miss → ?
Before that two-play, 72-yard drive, the Jets had run 31 plays for 99 yards.
asserted
Jets → run → yards
The Aporia
