The Chicago Bears absolutely DOMINATED the New York Jets 23-12 on Sunday, but let me tell you, that final score doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what went down at Soldier Field. Ben Johnson, the Bears’ coach, played mind games all week about his starting quarterback, only to trot out both Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent on the first offensive snap before Bagent took the reins for the rest of the day. And from that moment, it was a clinic.
A Historical Beatdown
What Chicago did to New York was simply unbelievable. The Bears outgained the Jets by a ridiculous 492-157 in total yardage. They picked up 34 first downs, while New York managed a measly seven. Think about that for a second! The Bears held the ball for an absurd 42 minutes and 45 seconds. Their offense ran 89 plays, compared to the Jets’ 32. That 89-to-32 split? Football Perspective says it was the second-most lopsided play differential in NFL history, only trailing Pittsburgh’s 90-to-28 advantage over the expansion Browns way back in 1999.
It gets even crazier. Chicago actually finished with more first downs than New York had offensive plays! SumerSports noted that hadn’t happened in an NFL game since 2016. Those 34 first downs were also the most for the Bears in a single game since at least 1941, and their +335 advantage in total yardage was Chicago’s largest since they put up a +343 performance against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979. Oh, and get this, punter Tory Taylor never even had to step onto the field. It felt like the Bears had the ball for three hours straight, and the Jets were just occasionally stopping by for a few plays.
Bagent Was Comfortable, Monangai Was Unstoppable
A huge chunk of that offensive dominance belongs to the running game. Kyle Monangai absolutely wore the Jets down, pounding the ball 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Chicago finished with a whopping 232 yards on the ground as a team. This allowed Ben Johnson to keep Tyson Bagent in favorable situations all afternoon and control the entire game without asking his backup quarterback to carry the offense.
Bagent, who stepped back into the lineup after clearing concussion protocol and with Caleb Williams missing his second straight game due to a hamstring injury, definitely held up his end of the bargain. He completed 25 of his 34 attempts for a career-high 268 yards. Now, those numbers, with no touchdowns and one interception, won’t exactly jump off the page, especially after what Keenum did against Philadelphia. But man, Bagent looked noticeably more comfortable running this offense than he has before. He finished with an 84.0 passer rating, which in a game like that, is exactly what you need.
Look, the numbers for Bagent might not be flashy with 0 TDs and 1 INT, but completing 25 of 34 attempts for a career-high 268 yards in a game where your team is setting historical dominance records? That’s doing exactly what you need to do. With Caleb Williams still sidelined, Bagent showed he can keep this offense humming, especially when the run game is firing like that. The Bears definitely have something to build on after this performance.
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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