Monangai unstoppable as Bears defeat Jets

The New York Jets travelled to Chicago looking to improve on a 1-2 start, while the Bears entered the matchup with momentum after a statement 27-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Chicago had been dealt another blow with Caleb Williams ruled out for a 2nd straight week, leaving head coach Ben Johnson with a difficult decision at quarterback.

Despite Case Keenum throwing for 247 yards and 3 total touchdowns in the win over Philadelphia, the Bears opted to hand the starting job back to Tyson Bagent. Bagent had missed the Eagles game while recovering from a concussion but had reclaimed his place as Chicago’s No. 2 quarterback once cleared, with the Bears trusting their original depth chart hierarchy over the veteran’s impressive performance.

Ben Johnson’s doubters appeared to be silenced from the get-go, with Bagent leading a strong drive down the field. It looked set to end with the Bears’ first touchdown of the afternoon, but they somehow had 2 touchdowns overturned due to being short and turned the ball over on downs at the Jets’ 1-yard line.

After forcing the Jets quickly off the field, however, Chicago returned to the goal line and were not to be denied this time, working through Kyle Monangai this time, who plowed into the end zone with no doubt to open the scoring.

After going an all-time record of 20 games without an interception, war was finally over for New York as Minkah Fitzpatrick picked Bagent off. The defense would have been forgiven for not even knowing how to react to the takeaway, it had been that long.

With the Jets offense looking lacklustre to begin proceedings, the strong field position was valuable enough to help get their first points on the scoreboard, which came through a field goal by Jason Sanders to cut into the deficit.

A pair of 3-pointers by Cairo Santos extended the Bears’ lead beyond a single score by halftime, and they were unfortunate for it to only stand at 13-3, having outgained the Jets by a whopping 235 yards in the opening half hour.

Not much looked to have changed for New York out of the break, but they forced another turnover, this time on the ground with a fumble by D’Andre Swift, giving themselves a rare red zone opportunity. They didn’t take full advantage, but reduced the margin to 7 points with another field goal by Sanders.

Chicago were able to compose themselves and respond with their best drive of the afternoon when it mattered most, which Monangai capped off with his second touchdown, making it a double for the first time in his short career.

With victory all but sealed, the Bears continued to feed Monangai as he surpassed 100 yards, winding down the clock professionally as their 3rd win of the season beckoned. The Jets finally found some offense and a touchdown on a deep ball to Isaiah Williams, but any hope was falsified as they had no solution to Chicago’s time-consuming run game.

The Bears wound out having posession for 43 of the game’s 60 minutes, outgaining the Jets 500-178 yards in totality. Despite the absence of Caleb Williams, Chicago appear to be going very nicely as they return top of the NFC North. Next week in Green Bay looms as an enthralling divisional matchup with plenty on the line.

Touchdowns
New York Jets: Williams
Chicago: Monangai 2

Top Performers
New York Jets: Williams, Fitzpatrick, Sherwood
Chicago: Monangai, Odunze, Santos, Odeyingbo

Injuries
New York Jets: N/A
Chicago: N/A

Crowd: TBC at Soldier Field