Oct 4, 2026 10:31 PM
Chicago’s relentless ground game and record-breaking possession time left New York reeling, as self-inflicted penalties and a stagnant offense fueled an embarrassing, lopsided defeat at Soldier Field.
The final score of the New York Jets' loss to the Chicago Bears won't tell the full story of how bad head coach Aaron Glenn's team played on Sunday.
The Jets trailed by a reasonable margin of 13-3 at halftime before getting the ball to start the second half. New York squandered the opportunity with a quick three-and-out. The Bears would wind up winning the contest 23-12 at Soldier Field in Week 4, dropping the Jets to 1-3 on the season.
While the Bears won by 11 points, it felt like a bloodbath. New York was penalized 12 times for 76 yards, a few of those penalties wiped out what would have been interceptions by Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent.
The time of possession was the real killer for the Jets. The Bears, who turned to Tyson Bagent on Sunday while quarterback Caleb Williams recovers from the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered in Week 2, turned to the run game.
Running back Kyle Monangai torched the Jets defense with 146 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 30 carries. The Bears ran for 232 yards, gaining plenty of first downs along the way. Chicago had 34 first downs against the Jets (a record for the Bears), two more first downs than total offensive players for the Jets.
The Bears led in time of possession 42:45-17:15, crushing opportunities for Geno Smith to lead a comeback. (The Jets had 45 seconds of offensive possession in the fourth quarter.) Chicago ran a total of 89 offensive plays. Per Benjamin Sloak of ESPN, it was only the fourth game since 1970 with a play differential of 57+.
The last time it happened was in 1999, when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 43-0.
It was an ugly game all around for the Jets. The defense did not play well at all against a team with a backup quarterback.
New York fell to 1-3 with the loss. The Jets weren't expected to be playoff contenders this season, but Glenn needed to have his team look competent on the field. They were outclassed in all phases of Sunday's game.
The Jets will next host the 3-1 Browns in Week 5. Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak after beating the Steelers on Thursday night and will provide New York another tough challenge as New York tries to find win No. 2 on the year.
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