Chicago Beat the Jets 23–12 Without Caleb. How the Hell Did the Bears Run 89 Plays?

Chicago beat the Jets 23–12 without Caleb Williams, and the craziest part isn't even that Tyson Bagent handled the start. It's that the Bears ran 89 offensive plays while New York ran 32. Eighty-nine to thirty-two, nigga. That's damn near an entire second football game. And somehow Chicago only scored 23.

So I'm not about to tell you the Bears found their new franchise quarterback or that this game was some perfect offensive performance. They dominated the ball, got 492 yards, and still kept inviting the Jets to hang around. That's what I wanted to look at once I got past the scoreboard.

First: give Tyson Bagent his credit

Caleb was unavailable and Chicago turned to Bagent for his first start in 1,061 days. He went 25-for-34 for 268 yards, managing an offense that kept moving the chains. The Bears' own numbers department says 34 first downs were the team's most in a game since at least 1941.

That doesn't mean he played flawlessly. Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked him off, ending New York's long interception drought. But for a backup quarterback, being able to operate the system, keep the offense on schedule and avoid asking the defense to carry everything is a hell of a contribution.

Rome Odunze caught six passes for 94 yards. Chicago didn't have to hide its quarterback or pretend the passing game was completely off-limits. That matters if Caleb misses time later, even though this one week doesn't mean he should lose his job.

Kyle Monangai changed the way I look at the backfield

Monangai ran 30 times for 146 yards and scored both of Chicago's touchdowns. D'Andre Swift had 58 rushing yards, but after he lost a fumble midway through the third quarter, coach Ben Johnson kept leaning on the other backs. In fact, the Bears ran the final 9:07 off the clock on one 18-play possession.

That last drive might be the most disrespectful thing Chicago did to New York. The Jets knew the Bears were trying to run the clock out. Everybody in the stadium knew it. And the Bears just kept taking another snap until there wasn't any game left.

Now, my FanDuel ticket had Swift to score. He didn't. That was the only leg that missed, and it annoyed the shit out of me because the game script wasn't wrong. Chicago ran all afternoon. I just assumed the bigger-name back would get the touchdown opportunities, and Monangai got both.

That's why I don't want to turn one result into some fake 'lock' for the next game. Watch which back is trusted near the goal line, which one the coach leaves on the field after a mistake, and whether injuries change the rotation. Two touchdowns aren't a permanent promise.

But 492 yards for only 23 points? That's another issue

The Jets' defense had two takeaways and forced Chicago to settle for field goals and empty trips. The Bears finished just 2-for-7 in the red zone, according to New York's official recap. That's a major reason this looked close on the scoreboard despite Chicago controlling the ball for 42 minutes and 45 seconds.

New York also had an offensive nightmare of its own: only seven first downs, no third-down conversions on seven attempts, and 157 yards. Geno Smith's offense struggled to stay on the field long enough to let the Jets' defense breathe.

Even that Jets defense deserves a little nuance. Minkah Fitzpatrick returned from injury and made the interception, but he also had to stay out there for almost every Bears snap. You can't expect defenders to survive eighty-nine plays while your own offense keeps going three-and-out.

My take

Chicago should feel good about its depth. They got a backup quarterback to run the offense, a running back who could carry a huge workload, and a defense that kept the Jets quiet. Those are actual positives.

But don't confuse dominating possession with finishing drives. Against a better offense, seven red-zone trips that produce only two touchdowns could have you explaining a loss instead of celebrating a win.

The Bears played damn near twice as much football as the Jets and still made the red zone look harder than it had to be.6ix / 6ixtv

If I'm Ben Johnson, I'm giving Bagent and Monangai their flowers, then I'm walking into the next meeting asking why we couldn't put more points on that scoreboard. Winning ugly counts. Fixing the ugly is how you win again.

Official reporting and real game footage

6IX TAKE

Deepened October 14, 2026. Game score and figures verified against official Bears and Jets reports. Original Bears photo in hero is team-owned and credited, with source link; not claimed to be Creative Commons or public-domain. Original NFL videos are linked/embedded at the rights owner's pages. Betting observations are personal commentary, not forecasts or guarantees.