Game recap

Jets @ Bears

2026 Wk 4 · CHI 23, NYJ 12

Chicago ran 86 plays to the Jets' 32 as Kyle Monangai carried 30 times for 146 yards.

FanIQ Research · October 4, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

The Jets ran 32 offensive plays, the third-fewest by any team in a game since 1999

Rare

Chicago ran 86 offensive plays and New York ran 32. Across 14,670 team-games in the plays table since 1999, only two offenses have run fewer: Cleveland with 27 in 1999 and the Raiders with 30 in 2025. The 54-play gap between the two offenses is also the third-largest in that span, behind two Pittsburgh games.

Fewest offensive plays in a game, 1999-2026 (pass and run plays)

Season	Wk	Game	Team	Plays	Opponent plays
1999	1	PIT @ CLE	CLE	27	84
2025	7	LV @ KC	LV	30	74
2026	4	NYJ @ CHI	NYJ	32	86
2003	11	NYJ @ IND	NYJ	33	75
2006	15	JAX @ TEN	TEN	33	81
2024	18	KC @ DEN	KC	33	71

Largest offensive-play gap in a game, 1999-2026

Season	Wk	Game	Team	Plays	Opponent plays	Gap
1999	1	PIT @ CLE	PIT	84	27	57
2002	14	HOU @ PIT	PIT	95	39	56
2026	4	NYJ @ CHI	CHI	86	32	54
2005	1	STL @ SF	LA	89	39	50
2022	3	BUF @ MIA	BUF	89	39	50

Why it matters. An offense cannot score without snaps, and the Jets got almost none. Chicago's 51 runs kept the clock moving, its 28 first downs extended drives, and the Jets converted only 7 first downs of their own, so their possessions ended quickly and Chicago's did not. A 54-play gap usually comes with a blowout score; this one ended 23-12 because Chicago settled for field goals.

Through three quarters the Jets had 85 yards on 30 plays. After their only touchdown, they never touched the ball again

Trend

New York ran four plays in the first quarter and gained 85 yards with five first downs through three quarters. Geno Smith's 58-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Williams with 9:25 left cut it to 23-12, and Jason Sanders missed the extra point wide right. Chicago then took the ball at its own 9 and kept it for the rest of the game: 18 snaps, 10 of them runs, ending in three kneel-downs at the Jets' 13, 14 and 15. Two Tyson Bagent interceptions on third down during that drive were wiped out by Jets penalties, offside and defensive holding.

Offense by quarter, this game (pass and run plays)

Team	Qtr	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	First downs
NYJ	1	4	15	-0.224	0
NYJ	2	12	19	-0.368	2
NYJ	3	14	51	-0.350	3
NYJ	4	2	72	+2.911	2
CHI	1	26	145	+0.188	8
CHI	2	23	129	-0.098	7
CHI	3	14	106	+0.216	7
CHI	4	23	115	-0.027	6

Chicago's final drive, 9:07 to the final whistle

Runs	Passes	Kneels	Penalty no-plays	Monangai carries	Monangai yards
10	5	3	3	8	29

Why it matters. The Jets' only efficient stretch of the day lasted two snaps, and it still left them two scores behind, which let Chicago run the ball and the clock without urgency. Even so, the clock-killing drive nearly gave the Jets two chances: both interceptions came on third down, and both penalties handed Chicago a fresh set of downs. New York burned all three timeouts by 5:35 and still could not get the ball back.

Chicago gained 419 yards outside the Jets' 20 and 76 inside it: seven red-zone trips, two touchdowns

Split

Between the 20s Chicago succeeded on 58.1 percent of its plays at +0.118 EPA a play. Inside the Jets' 20 that fell to -0.096 EPA a play on 24 snaps. The opening drive set the tone: D'Andre Swift was ruled in for a touchdown twice from the 3 and the 1, replay reversed both, and the Bears turned it over on downs at the 1. Every one of Chicago's 23 points came on red-zone trips, three of which ended in Cairo Santos field goals of 30, 30 and 21 yards.

Chicago offense by field zone, this game

Zone	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	Success rate	First downs	TD
Outside NYJ 20	62	419	+0.118	58.1%	22	0
Inside NYJ 20	24	76	-0.096	45.8%	6	2

Chicago's red-zone trips

Clock (start)	Result	Points
Q1 10:15	Turnover on downs at NYJ 1 (two Swift TDs reversed)	0
Q1 2:28	Monangai 1-yd TD run on fourth down	7
Q2 4:33	Santos 30-yd FG	3
Q2 0:19	Santos 30-yd FG	3
Q3 3:55	Monangai 5-yd TD run	7
Q4 13:27	Santos 21-yd FG	3
Q4 2:00	Kneel-downs to end the game	0

Why it matters. Chicago's offense won the field-position game by a wide margin and lost value once the field shrank. A 21-yard field goal means a drive stalled inside the 5, and the Bears had two drives end at or inside the Jets' 3 without a touchdown. That is why 86 plays and 495 yards produced only 23 points, and why the Jets were still within two scores with nine minutes left.

Kyle Monangai's 30 carries: the 12th 30-carry game by a Bear since 1999, and the first since 2020

Milestone

Monangai ran 30 times for 146 yards and both Chicago touchdowns, including eight carries on the game-ending drive. Since 1999 a Chicago player has carried 30 or more times in a regular-season game only 12 times. The last was David Montgomery against Minnesota in 2020, also for 146 yards. Among the 12, only Anthony Thomas (173 and 160) and Jordan Howard (167) gained more.

Chicago 30-carry games, 1999-2026 regular season

Season	Wk	Player	Opp	Car	Yds	TD
2000	15	James Allen	NE	37	97	1
2001	8	Anthony Thomas	CLE	31	96	1
2001	14	Anthony Thomas	TB	31	173	1
2001	17	Anthony Thomas	JAX	33	160	1
2003	9	Anthony Thomas	LAC	31	111	2
2003	16	Anthony Thomas	WAS	32	141	1
2006	10	Thomas Jones	NYG	30	113	1
2007	16	Adrian Peterson	GB	30	102	1
2016	13	Jordan Howard	SF	32	117	3
2017	6	Jordan Howard	BAL	36	167	0
2020	15	David Montgomery	MIN	32	146	2
2026	4	Kyle Monangai	NYJ	30	146	2

Chicago rushers, this game

Player	Car	Yds	TD
Kyle Monangai	30	146	2
D'Andre Swift	15	58	0
Roschon Johnson	4	16	0
Luther Burden III	1	11	0
Tyson Bagent	4	1	0

Why it matters. Chicago ran 51 times, and Monangai took more than half of them while Swift, who started the game as the lead back on the opening drive, finished with 15. The workload split matters because the Bears leaned on Monangai to close: he had the goal-line touchdowns and eight of the 10 runs on the final drive. Thirty carries is a rare load in this era of shared backfields, and the last Bear to reach it did so nearly six years earlier.

The Jets had at least 18 first downs in each of their first three games. Against Chicago they had seven

Comparison

New York's offense ran 60, 71 and 61 plays in its first three games and picked up 18, 19 and 21 first downs. In Chicago it ran 32 plays and earned 7 first downs. Geno Smith finished 8 of 15 for 119 yards and a touchdown and was sacked three times. On the other side, the Jets' defense faced 86 plays, 51 runs and 235 rushing yards, all season highs, after facing no more than 62 plays in any earlier game.

Jets offense by week, 2026 (pass and run plays)

Week	Opponent	Plays	Yards	EPA/play	First downs	Sacks
1	@ TEN	60	370	+0.168	18	0
2	vs GB	71	285	-0.106	19	4
3	@ DET	61	335	+0.096	21	5
4	@ CHI	32	157	-0.137	7	3

Jets defense by week, 2026

Week	Opponent	Plays faced	Runs faced	Rush yds allowed	First downs allowed
1	@ TEN	49	14	68	10
2	vs GB	50	18	63	12
3	@ DET	62	28	133	23
4	@ CHI	86	51	235	28

Why it matters. The Jets' offense had not been the problem in the first three weeks, with two games above zero EPA a play. What changed in Chicago was volume, and that trace leads back to the defense: Chicago converted 28 first downs, and every extended Bears drive was a Jets drive that never started. The trend across the defensive table is the worrying part for New York, with plays faced and first downs allowed rising every week.

Tyson Bagent's 268 yards are a career high, from Chicago's third different leading passer in four games

Milestone

Bagent completed 25 of 34 passes for 268 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, the Minkah Fitzpatrick pick in the second quarter. That is the most passing yards of his career, passing the 232 he threw against the Chargers in 2023. Caleb Williams led Chicago in attempts in Weeks 1 and 2, Case Keenum threw 34 passes in Week 3, and Bagent took over here. Chicago is 3-1, and New York falls to 1-3.

Tyson Bagent's top passing-yard games

Season	Wk	Opp	C/A	Yds	TD	INT
2026	4	NYJ	25/34	268	0	1
2023	8	LAC	25/37	232	0	2
2023	9	NO	18/30	220	2	3
2023	7	LV	21/29	162	1	0
2023	10	CAR	20/33	162	0	0

Chicago pass attempts by quarterback, 2026

Week	Quarterback	Att
1	Caleb Williams	29
2	Caleb Williams	26
2	Tyson Bagent	9
3	Case Keenum	34
4	Tyson Bagent	34

Why it matters. Chicago won with a quarterback who did not throw a touchdown, which is a direct product of the 51-run plan: Bagent's job was to keep drives alive and avoid mistakes, and he completed 25 of 34 with one interception while Chicago piled up 28 first downs. A rotating quarterback room makes a run-first identity easier to explain, since the ground game is the one part of the offense that does not change week to week.

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