Week 4: New York Jets vs. Bears With Key Pieces Out, Jets Fall to 1-3

· Yahoo Sports

Oct 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive line Austin Booker (94) tackles New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Michael Zimmelman, Editor

The Jets vs. Bears faced off in Chicago with both teams missing key contributors in Week 4. For New York, the Jets will be missing star running back Breece Hall, who is week-to-week with a quad injury, along with left guard Dylan Parham, who is recovering from a knee injury. Not to mention, the Jets were without wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, their second-leading receiver, as well as tight end Mason Taylor. Meanwhile, Chicago will attempt to manage the offense without quarterback Caleb Williams, who will miss a second week in a row while recovering from a hamstring strain.

Good news for the Jets defense this week, though, is the return of veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The nine-year veteran makes his return after a groin injury during New York’s Week 1 win over the Titans saw him ride the bench for the next two games. Along with Fitzpatrick, the Jets got a special teams boost as Kene Nwangwu, a sixth-year veteran kickoff returner, is making his season debut. This was a major boost for the Jets special teams, with Isaiah Williams struggling as the primary returner in his absence.

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Another interesting wrinkle in this Jets vs. Bears matchup was who would replace Williams as the Bears starting quarterback. Chicago opted to start 15-year veteran Case Keenum after he led the reigning NFC North champs to victory over the Eagles in Week 3. However, the Bears pulled Keenum after the opening play, and Tyson Bagent remained the quarterback for the rest of the game.

Nonetheless, it was Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s game planning that outlasted his old friend, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. The Bears offense controlled possession for 42:45. The Jets defense just couldn’t get off the field fast enough. Along with a struggling offense, the Bears would emerge victorious in Jets vs. Bears as New York fell to 1-3.

Sep 27, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) leaps over Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes (55) at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn ImagesWeek 4: New York Jets vs. Bears With Key Pieces Out, Jets Fall to 1-3

Jets vs. Bears features a Chess Match of Former Lions Coordinators

In Week 4, the Jets vs. Bears game featured a reunion between two former Dan Campbell coordinators from their Detroit Lions days leading both sidelines. When Campbell left the New Orleans Saints to become the Detroit Lions head coach in 2021, he brought then Saints secondaries coach Aaron Glenn with him. Aaron Glenn, Campbell’s former Texas A&M and Dallas Cowboys teammate, would serve as his defensive coordinator. Glenn served as the Lions defensive coordinator for four seasons before being hired as the New York Jets head coach in 2025.

Meanwhile, Dan Campbell retained Lions tight ends coach Ben Johnson to remain on his coaching staff under then offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. The Lions would promote Johnson to the offensive coordinator role in 2022, as Johnson would help orchestrate one of the league’s best offenses for the next two seasons. In 2025, Johnson would leave Detroit to join their NFC North division rivals, the Chicago Bears, as their new head coach. In 2025, Johnson led the Bears to an 11-6 record and the NFC Division Title. Chicago would eventually lose to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

Aug 14, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) on the field after the game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Minkah Fitzpatrick returns and ends the Jets 20-game Interception-less Streak

Veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick played his second game of the season after the Jets offseason acquisition exited Week 1 six plays into the season opener with a groin injury. The injury kept Fitzpatrick sidelined in the team’s back-to-back losses to the Packers and Lions. However, it was a monumental return as the New Jersey native ended one of the team’s most embarrassing streaks.

Entering today’s game, the Jets have gone 20 games without recording an interception. Until 11:52 in the second quarter. On first-and-10 at the Bears 43-yard line, Chicago quarterback Tyson Bagent targeted tight end Colston Loveland. But Fitzpatrick got underneath the route and secured the New York Jets first interception in 636 pass attempts. It’s their first interception since Week 18 of the 2024 season.

Bears Made the Jets Offense Struggle In the First Half

The first half was a disaster for the Jets offense. The Jets vs. Bears Week 4 game opened with the Bears dominating the possession battle, spending just under 22 minutes on offense. The Jets defense came up with a big goal line stop for the turnover on downs by keeping Bears running back D’Andre Swift out of the end zone. But backed up at their own one-yard line, the Jets offense could only muster nine yards before punting it away.

The following Bears drive saw them go 57 yards on 12 plays through seven minutes, ending with a Kyle Monangai one-yard touchdown run for the Chicago running back. The Jets offense managed to turn Tyson Bagent’s interception into a field goal, but Chicago continued to dominate the Jets offense. The Jets offense finished the first half with 34 total yards on offense. Meanwhile, after getting two Cairo Santos field goals before the end of the first half, the Bears finished the first half with 274 yards.

The Jets offensive game plan struggled. Quarterback Geno Smith had arguably his worst half of the season with 18 passing yards on three-of-six pass attempts. Without Adonai Mitchell or Breece Hall out there, the offense could barely produce anything. The team could barely involve star wide receiver Garrett Wilson or rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq as well.

Bears controlled the game in the second half as well

Entering the second half down 13-3, things were looking dire for the Jets. Monangai was controlling the game. He finished the game with 30 carries for 146 yards. The Jets managed to get a second field goal from Jason Sanders on their second drive of the third quarter. However, the Bears responded with a nine-play drive in under five minutes, going 72 yards before being capped off by a five-yard Monangai touchdown run on second-and-goal to give Chicago a 20-6 lead.

The Jets got the ball back, but responded with only six yards on three plays before Austin McNamara punted it away. The Bears had possession entering the fourth quarter. Chicago followed up with a 77-yard drive on 11 plays that was capped off by another Santos field goal, this time from 21 yards, as the Bears made it a 23-6 lead.

Luckily, the Jets offense finally found the end zone on the following drive. Jets quarterback Geno Smith found Garrett Wilson on a 14-yard gain to their own 42-yard line. The next play, Smith unloaded a deep ball to wide receiver Isaiah Williams, who shook off a Bears defender, Jordan van den Berg, to prevent the tackle as Williams walked into the end zone for the 58-yard touchdown. However, a missed PAT from Sanders kept it an 11-point Bears lead, 23-12.

Unfortunately, that touchdown would be the last time the Jets had possession. The Bears drew out the clock with an 18-play, 76-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes to close out the game. Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent played well in his first start of the season. The Jets almost intercepted him two more times today. But a Brandon Stephens interception was wiped away by a Demario Davis offside penalty. Rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds had his first career interception before being flagged for holding. Both negated interceptions took place during the final drive.

Nov 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) carries the ball for a touchdown defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) during the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Bears defeat the Jets 23-12; the Jets fall to 1-3

It was a thorough outclassing performance by the reigning NFC North champions. The Bears offense controlled the tempo of the entire game. Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent finished with 268 passing yards on 25/34 with no touchdowns and an interception. But he kept his composure, thanks to the offensive line allowing only one sack. Monangai was easily the player of the game as the Bears ran for a combined 232 yards.

Despite not allowing any turnovers, the Jets offense couldn’t perform with Hall, Mitchell, and Parham all out. Geno Smith had his worst game of the season. Smith finished going eight-of-15 for 119 yards(72 of those yards coming from the final drive) along with a passing touchdown, no turnovers, and three sacks for a loss of 21 yards. Braelon Allen started in Hall’s place at running back, finishing with all 14 carries today for 59 yards. Isaiah Williams finished as the Jets leading receiver with two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown catch. The Bears defense held Garrett Wilson to three catches for only 27 yards.

The Last Word

The New York Jets game plan & clock management issues continue to linger. While the team made progress in September, the more they linger, the worse Aaron Glenn’s chances get to return in 2027. Both Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich and he have got to find a way to overcome these errors if the Jets want to end this three-game losing streak. Especially with a red-hot Cleveland Browns team coming to MetLife Stadium next week. The Brown have won three games in a row and are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first in the AFC North.

The Jets defense needs to find a way to create pressure while edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare is out with a knee injury. If the Jets offense wants to turn it around, both Reich and Smith need to do more to get Wilson and Sadiq the ball. A combined 27 yards (Sadiq: zero catches for zero yards on four targets) between the two of them is not going to win New York many games.

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Main Photo: [Mike Dinovio] – Reuters Connect

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