The Chicago Bears just snagged their second victory in six days, taking down the New York Jets 23-12 on Sunday, October 4th. And yeah, they did it all without Caleb Williams, who’s still sidelined with that bad hamstring and likely a few weeks away from coming back. While Tyson Bagent was “OK” in his first de facto start since 2023, going 25 of 34 for 268 yards, this win screams about the ground game and that absolute brick wall of a defense.
Kyle Monangai Went Full Beast Mode, Carrying the Load
Look, when you’ve got your superstar QB out, someone else has to step up, right? And for the Bears, that someone was second-year running back Kyle Monangai. This dude was simply on fire, busting out 146 of the Bears’ staggering 232 total rushing yards. He wasn’t just chewing up yardage, either, Monangai punched in both of Chicago’s touchdowns. He had a whopping 30 carries, a workload he hasn’t seen since his Rutgers days. It’s wild because D’Andre Swift, who had struggled with two goal line stuffs and a fumble earlier in the game, just wasn’t on his game. Monangai came in and flat-out carried the whole damn team on his back, proving this offense can still run when the passing game needs help.
The “No-Name Defense” Is Straight Up Dominating
But let’s be real, the true heroes of this game, next to Monangai, were the defense. Holding an NFL team to a mere 157 total yards? That’s not a typo, folks. ONE HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN TOTAL YARDS. They completely shut down the Jets on third down, not letting them convert a single one of their seven opportunities. New York had the ball for less than 18 minutes across four quarters, and get this: only 45 seconds in the entire fourth quarter. They even sacked Geno Smith three times and limited the Jets to only two red zone appearances. Coach Ben Johnson nailed it when he called them the “no-name defense,” saying, “I don’t know anybody’s super flashy, all over the place, yet they are playing really good football as a collective 11 on the field.” This unit has only given up 28 points over the last three games, with almost all of those scores coming from field goals. That’s just insane. They play sound, they know their assignments, and they got each other’s backs.
Ben Johnson’s Got This Team Rolling, With Or Without Caleb
It’s easy to say the NFL is a quarterback’s league, and yeah, Ben Johnson was brought in to get the best out of Caleb Williams. And he’s done that, with Williams throwing for a Bears-record 3,942 yards last season and leading Chicago to their first playoff win since 2010. But these last two games? They’re showing us there’s so much more to Johnson than just fancy play calls for his star QB. This man has built a well-rounded squad that can seriously roll with the punches. Remember that Monday Night Football win? Case Keenum, not Williams, outplayed Jalen Hurts and the Eagles for that victory. Coming off a high like that and then not dropping off against an opponent you don’t know much about, as Johnson said, shows a serious amount of grit. With Williams still out, the Bears don’t have a choice but to keep leaning on this formula. They’re proving they’re a legitimate team, not just a one-man show.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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