Battle of the Backups: Jets outlast the Bears 31-10

Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland - USA Today Sports

On a rainy Sunday afternoon in the Meadowlands, the New York Jets were looking for a much needed win following an embarrassing 10-3 loss to their division rival New England Patriots. This loss caused head coach Robert Saleh to bench second-year quarterback Zach Wilson. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears were looking to snap a losing streak of their own, a challenge made much harder with Justin Fields sustaining a separated shoulder injury against the Falcons the week prior. With the Jets and Bears starting two backup quarterbacks, their seasons laid in the hands of Mike White and Trevor Siemian, respectively.

On the Jets first drive, it seemed that Mike White breathed new life into their offense, throwing a touchdown on their opening drive that was caught by first-year wide receiver Garrett Wilson. The Bears also scored on their first drive with a Cairo Santos chip-shot field goal. On the Jets next drive, they punted, and the Bears marched down the field on a drive highlighted by running back David Montgomery. The drive was capped off by a touchdown pass from Siemian to Bears receiver Byron Pringle.

Later in the game, the Jets offense drove down the field, but the offense stalled out, leading to a field goal try. Punter Braden Mann fumbled the snap, and while the Bears picked up the football, it was ruled an incomplete pass. The Bears punted on the subsequent drive, and the Jets responded with another drive that ended with a touchdown pass from White to Wilson. The Bears and Jets traded punts to end the first half, with the Jets leading 17-10.

Both teams went three-and-out on the first three drives of the second half, but the Jets finally gained back some momentum on offense with White throwing a pass to Elijah Moore that ended up being the second-year receiver’s first touchdown reception of the season. The Bears continued their offensive inconsistency by going three-and-out again, and the Jets took advantage on their next drive with a Ty Johnson touchdown run. That ended up being the last scoring drive of the game, as the Jets beat the Bears 31-10.

This win for the Jets proves that White gives the team a better chance to win than Zach Wilson. He provided the best performance at that position they have had all season, and they will need him down the stretch to end their playoff drought. For the Bears, they were not expected to be as explosive offensively with Siemian replacing Fields due to injury, and that showed. The Bears will fall to 3-9, while the Jets improve to 7-4.