Both the Chicago Bears and New York Jets started new quarterbacks today. For the Jets, they benched young QB Zach Wilson in favor of locker room favorite Mike White. The Bears quarterback situation was even more interesting, as usual starter Justin Fields is dealing with a shoulder injury. To make matters worse, backup QB Trevor Siemian got injured during warmups, causing the Bears to consider the third-stringer Nathan Peterman. However, an injured Siemian was able to take the field as the starter.
Siemian and the Bears’ offense started out hot, scoring a field goal and a touchdown on their first two drives. Siemian looked great, checking it down when necessary yet very willing to air it out deep. He connected with WR Chase Claypool on a long 31 yard completion over opposing star CB Sauce Gardner to help set up the touchdown. However, these two scores to start the game would be the last points the Bears would score. The Jets’ imposing defense combined with the Bears’ offensive lack of playmaking led to constant punts. The rainy weather also didn’t contribute to the stalling offense.
Unfortunately, the defense was getting diced up all afternoon. Straight from the start, Jets QB Mike White showed out with accurate throws and right reads to march down the field. White continually punished the Bears air defense, finishing with 315 passing yards with 3 touchdowns. Additionally, the Bears failed to stop the ground game, giving up 158 yards to the tune of nearly 5 yards per carry.
Overall Reaction: Bears fall to Jets 10-31
Without star QB Justin Fields, the Bears offense failed to get much going. RB David Montgomery continued his strong play, finishing with 113 scrimmage yards. However, another big concern emerged when top WR Darnell Mooney went down with a leg injury. Yet to miss a regular season game in his young career, Mooney was unable to put weight on his left leg after a pile of players landed on it. A serious problem to monitor going forward, WRs Chase Claypool and Byron Pringle will have to step up their production. They each flashed impressive catches today, hoping to build on their performance.
The defense wasn’t much better unfortunately, letting up 31 points to a struggling Jets offense, despite being without star rookies LB Jaquan Brisker and CB Kyler Gordon. Another big concern popped up when veteran S Eddie Jackson went down with a non-contact leg injury. This is a worrisome injury due to its non-contact nature paired with MetLife Stadium’s notoriously poor turf. A darker cloud hangs over the Bears after this loss, more than just an ordinary loss.
