Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets Recap

On November 27th, the Chicago Bears played the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium. Throughout the week leading up to the game, there were a lot of question marks regarding who would be the starting quarterback for both teams. Many people were looking forward to the battle of the sophomore quarterbacks, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields, but that did not end up being the case whatsoever. 

After the Jets' week 11 loss of 10 - 3 against the New England Patriots, the Jets had to decide whether they would stick with Wilson as their starting quarterback against the Bears. Against the Patriots, Wilson completed nine of his 22 passes for only 77 yards and zero touchdowns. Although Wilson played poorly against a division rival, I believe it was his actions after the game that ultimately led to his benching.

During his post-game press conference, Wilson was asked if he felt that he let the Jets' defense down, and his response was simply “No.” This did not settle well with the Jets' locker room at all, especially since the Jets' defense only held the Patriots to one field goal. Several days later, Jets head coach Robert Saleh announced that Mike White would be their quarterback against the Bears.

Although the Bears have not had the ideal season every team hopes for, their one bright spot was Justin Fields, who had proved himself to be their franchise quarterback. Unfortunately, Fields ended up getting injured during the Bears’ week 11 matchup against the Falcons. Fields suffered a separated shoulder with a torn ligament to his left shoulder on the game's final drive.

Although Fields was pushing to play against the Jets, the Bears staff decided to sit him to avoid further injury. Depending on its severity, this kind of injury typically takes a few weeks to heal. Justin Fields’ injury meant that backup quarterback Trevor Siemian would be getting the start.

In the game that ended up being “the battle of the backups,” the Jets were able to defeat the Bears 31 - 10. As for the Jets, their biggest storyline from this game was Mike White. White completed 22 of his 28 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns. For a backup quarterback, who probably had little time to prepare for this game, this certainly helps him prove himself to be the Jets' quarterback moving forward.

Although White went off for one of his best performances, questions are still being raised because he played against a bottom-five defense in the league, who also had the majority of their secondary out. If White stays consistently good, I think the Jets will have a bright future with that roster. 

The biggest storyline from this game for the Bears was injuries. Metlife Stadium is probably the worst field to play on because players are more injury prone due to the turf. Going into the game, the Bears were already down Justin Fields (shoulder), Jaquan Brisker (concussion), and Kyler Gordon (concussion). During the game, the Bears suffered injuries to Darnell Mooney (ankle), Eddie Jackson (foot), Larry Borom (ankle), Riley Reiff (shoulder), Chase Claypool, and Equanimeous St. Brown. Claypool and St. Brown are considered to be day-to-day, but the severity of the injuries to Jackson, Borom, and Reiff is still unknown. It is feared Jackson suffered a season-ending injury since his injury was non-contact. Lastly, Darnell Mooney has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will most likely need ankle surgery.

This week, a few questions were raised for both teams. The Jets will have to decide what to do with Zach Wilson if Mike White proves himself to be their guy. Do they give Wilson more time to develop since he has so much potential? Or do they trade him?

Now for the Bears, do they just shut their starters down for the rest of the season due to all the injuries? As of right now, the Bears are 3 - 9 and currently hold the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Shutting their starters down would give the younger guys an opportunity to prove themselves while also protecting the Bears' future.