An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Bears Week 4 matchup in Chicago:
Marquee matchup
Jets QB Geno Smith vs. Bears DC Dennis Allen
Smith is coming off one of the best games of his career.
He threw for completed 83.8 percent of his passes against the Lions last week for 321 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith made some pinpoint throws and had the offense humming, connecting with Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq often.
“It’s been really, really good,” coach Aaron Glenn said of working with Smith. “I’ve talked about this several times on just the maturation that you’ve seen of him from the time I first got a chance to be with him here and to where he is now, just full understanding of the offense to his full understanding of how defenses are trying to attack us, him getting us in the right plays at the right time, him setting the protection at the right time, and just really seeing how he’s grown as a quarterback in this league has been outstanding.
“And the leadership qualities that he has and the way he commands the huddle, so being able to work with him in that aspect has been good.”
Allen is another coach with deep ties to Glenn.
The two were college teammates at Texas A&M, and Glenn was an assistant coach with the Saints when Allen was the defensive coordinator.
Allen has the Bears defense playing well after a shaky Week 1 against Carolina.
They allowed just nine points to the Vikings in Week 2 and seven points to the Eagles last week.
They had three takeaways last week and have six this season.
Four downs
Who’s at QB? The Bears have not announced who their starting quarterback will be Sunday.
Caleb Williams was ruled out with a hamstring injury, but coach Ben Johnson would not say whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum would be under center against the Jets.
Bagent was the No. 2 quarterback coming out of training camp, but he suffered a concussion and was not ready to play last week against the Eagles.
That led to Keenum making the start, and he went 24-of-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
It seems like the Bears are leaning toward Bagent, who they think highly of, but the Jets have spent the week preparing for both.
“Honestly, I feel really good about the whole room,” Johnson said. “I don’t know that there’s a bad choice or a wrong choice. We’re very, very fortunate that we’ve got guys that we believe in. The whole team believes. It’s not just the coaching staff. The whole team believes in everybody in that room. It’s one of those things that you can’t go wrong.”
Sadiq the freak: Rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq had his breakout game last week against the Lions. He caught seven passes for 105 yards and went vertical to make an amazing touchdown catch.
With Adonai Mitchell, Breece Hall and Mason Taylor all sidelined for this game, it should be another case where Sadiq can take a starring role.
“We knew when A.G. and [general manager Darren Mougey] got him here in the building, we were very excited about that,” offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. “He’s got a unique talent set, as we’ve said, but it’s not just about talent, it’s about being a football player.”
Bear attack: The Bears may have questions at quarterback, but their rushing attack has left no doubt this season.
Chicago leads the NFL with 184.3 rushing yards per game. They have run for 291, 134 and 128 yards, respectively, in their first three games.
D’Andre Swift is the team’s lead back with 54 carries for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Swift was a little banged up this week and did not practice Thursday but it sounds like he will play.
Kyle Monangai, the former Rutgers star, is a nice complement to Swift and has 178 rushing yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Woe line: The Jets offensive line dominated the team’s Week 1 win over the Titans, but they have found little success since.
They have run for 67 and 58 yards, respectively in the past two games, both losses. Geno Smith has been sacked nine times in the past two games after barely getting touched in Week 1.
This week, the Jets are without starting left guard Dylan Parham. Jordan Meredith is expected to replace him.
Meredith had a mistake in protection on the strip-sack last week that ended the Jets’ hopes in Detroit.
They are also without star running back Hall, making it interesting to see if they can move the ball on the ground this week.
Costello’s call
The Jets have been knocking on the door of a big-time win the past two weeks. This week, they get one.
The Bears are playing a backup quarterback (whichever one), and the Jets need to capitalize.
Safety Dane Belton ends the interception drought and gets a pick-six, and Geno Smith does enough to lead the Jets to a win.
Jets 27, Bears 20
