The Chicago Bears (2-1) are gearing up for a Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets (1-2) on Sunday, where Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn will face off for the first time since both left the Detroit Lions for head coaching jobs.
The Bears are coming off an impressive 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, where they once again dominated the trenches and made a statement with third-stringer Case Keenum under center amid quarterback injuries. Keenum orchestrated Ben Johnson's offense to perfection, completing 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Chicago's defense had an even better showing in Week 3, holding the Eagles to just seven points, forcing three turnovers and completely shutting them down in the second
half.
Now, the focus shifts to a potenital trap game for Chicago, as the Jets have put up a fight against fellow NFC North squads Detroit and Green Bay, before both emerged victorious. Could the Bears be the first NFC North team to win convincingly against New York this season? Our Bears Wire staff certainly thinks so. Here's a look at their game predictions for Bears-Jets in Week 4:
Alyssa Barbieri (1-2): Bears 30, Jets 17
Bold prediction: Bears record 3 takeaways again
The Bears proved they're a good football team with a statement win against the Eagles on Monday night, down their starting and backup quarterbacks. While the Jets aren't the Jets or miserable years past, this is a game that good football teams should win, so I'm expecting nothing less Sunday at Soldier Field. Obviously, the biggest question heading into this game is whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum will start at quarterback with Caleb Williams still sidelined. And, honestly, Keenum showed everyone last week that it doesn't really matter. Chicago can win with either Williams, Bagent or Keenum. As long as Ben Johnson is running the show, the Bears are one of the best in the NFL, and he'll have any QB ready to play.
Chicago's run game struggled early against Philadelphia last week, and it won't get any easier against one of the league's top run defenses in New York, which is allowing 87.3 rushing yards per game. D'Andre Swift was a surprise addition to Thursday's injury report with a knee injury, which is certainly worth monitoring, and Kyle Monangai could very well see an uptick in carries. That means Bagent or Keenum might once again have to carry this offense and attack downfield with this array of weapons.
The good -- and still shocking -- news is that the Bears defense has experienced a resurgence after allowing 37 points to the Panthers in Week 1. They're allowing an average 8.0 points per game in the last two contests, and they have an opportunity to continue that hot streak against a Jets team down top running back Breece Hall. Geno Smith is a solid quarterback, but if Chicago can do what they did last week against Jalen Hurts, it could result in another three-takeaway performance.
Brendan Sugrue (2-1): Bears 30, Jets 10
Bold prediction: Bears shut out Jets in first half
The New York Jets haven’t beaten the Chicago Bears in the state of Illinois this millennium, and their first win sure as heck isn’t coming with Ben Johnson at the helm. After three weeks, it’s becoming clear that the Bears can be a powerhouse in the NFC, and it may not even matter who starts at quarterback. As of this writing, we still don’t know whether Case Keenum will get another start with Caleb Williams on the mend or if Tyson Bagent will get the nod. While I’m leaving Bagent, I believe Johnson can carve up this New York defense with either player despite them allowing fewer than 200 total yards in their first couple of games.
These aren’t the same old Jets from last year, as they’ve shown to be quite competitive to start the year. But they’re banged up at multiple positions, particularly on offense, and are limited by the effectiveness of Aaron Glenn when it comes to in-game situations. With Breece Hall and Adonai Mitchell likely out, Geno Smith will have a tougher time keeping pace with his early-season success. Especially if Olu Fashanu suddenly can’t block anyone after allowing three sacks last week against the Detroit Lions.
The Bears are hitting their stride on both offense and defense, and unless another rainstorm engulfs Soldier Field, they will have no trouble taking care of business to start 3-1 for the first time since 2020.
Mike Pendleton (2-1): Bears 38, Jets 13
Bold prediction: Dillon Thieneman scores first career TD
This game is tailor-made for the Chicago Bears to leave their impact across the league with Ben Johnson, once again showcasing his offensive excellence as a head coach. The New York Jets are coming in banged up, missing three of their top offensive players, so the defense should have a relatively smoother time in making lifetime on quarterback Geno Smith.
Dillon Thieneman excelled in last week’s win over Philadelphia, and I believe the Bears playing at home will create multiple opportunities for the rookie to get his first career touchdown on a takeaway. I will add one more bold prediction, both Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum make appearances in this game. Ben Johnson loves to play to the crowd, and they will be roaring at home with a favorable matchup against the Jets.
Vinnie Parise (2-1): Bears 34, Jets 17
Bold prediction: The Bears will run their offense even better this week with a backup QB than last week
The Chicago Bears have one of the best head coaches in the NFL, who also happens to be an elite playcaller. This is his chance to show it again as they face off against the New York Jets. He will have a backup QB under center again, but it shouldn’t matter based on the scheming ability of the coach.
The Jets are not a great team, but they have given some scares to NFC North teams so far this year. The Bears will have to come ready to play if they want to make this a game in which they don’t feel much pressure.
There is tape out there now to study on what Keenum looks like in his current form with his current team, so that’s something for the Bears to think about. Even still, the talent up and down the field and on the sideline should allow them to pull away in the end.
Ariana Pensy (2-1): Bears 31, Jets 14
Bold prediction: Chicago will sack Geno Smith at least five times
The New York Jets are not as bad as they have been in previous seasons. They really should have beaten the Green Bay Packers and nearly escaped Week 3 with a win against the Detroit Lions, so they will be competitive in this game as well, at least in the first half. New York only has one turnover in the first three games, so the Bears cannot rely on takeaways on defense to win.
Instead, they need to shut down Geno Smith and the passing attack. New York’s running game has struggled and they will most likely be playing without star running back Breece Hall. If the Bears can prevent Smith from finding success against Chicago’s defense in the passing game, it will be a long day for the Jets.
Chicago also needs to get pressure on Smith. In the past two games, he has been sacked nine times. The Bears only have seven sacks all year. However, they have the talent to get in the backfield and create havoc. Montez Sweat will have at least one of Chicago’s sacks in this game.
Randy Holt (1-2): Bears 28, Jets 9
Bold prediction: A Bears running back crosses the 100-yard threshold.
The Bears showed a lot against the Eagles on Monday night. They proved they can hang without Caleb Williams at the helm, and their defense continues to prove that they’re better than what we saw in Week 1. While the Jets are a much better team than we’ve come to expect, this is also a matchup that should lean heavily in favor of the Bears if things come together like they did in Week 3.
The run game is what I’m watching. Each of D’Andre Swift & Kyle Monangai have struggled to gain traction since they each exploded back in Week 1. While the Jets have allowed one of the fewest yardage totals on the ground, they’re closer to the middle of the pack in yards allowed per rush. Given how crucial it is to Ben Johnson’s gameplan, I think that there will be a renewed focus on the ground game to the point where one of Swift (assuming he plays) or Monangai leaves a big impact on the stat sheet.
With the Jets facing a couple of injuries on the offensive side, I think the Bears’ defense will continue gaining confidence despite some of their logistical shortcomings. Multiple turnovers again isn’t entirely out of the question, and against one of the lower scoring teams in the league, it’s completely possible the Jets don’t touch the end zone before it’s all done on Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Will Bears beat the Jets? Our game picks and bold predictions
