Chicago vs New York final score: Bears depleted defense outlasts Jets, 27-19
The Chicago Bears raced out to a quick two-touchdown lead and the New York Jets had red zone problems and couldn’t punch the ball in the end zone with much efficiency as the Bears improved to 2-1 with the 27-19 road win that was decided after stopping the Jets on fourth down with 58 seconds with the Jets failing to convert in the red zone.
More from Chicago Bears
- Ryan Poles’ first contract extension as Bears GM is a big one
- NFL rumors: 3 edge rushers Bears could still add to fill glaring need
- Justin Fields, self-proclaimed Top 5 rushing QB ever, eyes elusive Bears record
- NFL Power Rankings: Who is the best quarterback in each division?
- NFL coach bashes the Bears for letting star leave
Chicago wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in MetLife Stadium in the Monday Night Football game against the New York Jets.
Ryan Mundy picked off a pass from Geno Smith on an attempted screen pass on the second play from scrimmage and returned it 45 yards to put the visiting team on top 32 seconds into the game. This was the first time in Monday Night Football history that a player returned an interception for a score that quickly.
After the Jets punted on their ensuing possession and forced Jay Cutler and the Bears to punt, Chicago forced the second turnover on the night by the Jets when Jalen Saunders muffed a punt and Ahmad Dixon recovered the punt at the New York 40.
After a pass interference penalty on the following play brought the Bears inside the red zone, Cutler found tight end Martellus Bennett for a seven-yard touchdown on third down after he eluded the rush from Sheldon Richardson and gave the Bears a 14-0 lead, courtesy of two Jets turnovers in the game’s first five minutes.
The Jets carved into the Bears lead with a 43-yard field goal from Nick Folk 11-play, 55-yard drive stalled after a big sack from Bears second round pick Ego Ferguson put them in a third-and-22.
On the following possession, the Bears drove down the field and got in field goal range for kicker Robbie Gould where the Jets came up with the stop on third down, but a holding penalty by Antonio Allen gave Chicago a fresh set of downs.
However, the Jets defense bowed their neck after a Matt Forte and deflected two passes to Alshon Jeffery in the end zone which brought Gould out for the successful 24-yard field goal to give the Bears a 17-3 lead 13:54 mark of the second quarter.
The two teams continued to trade field goals after a 43-yard reception from second round pick Jace Amaro got the Jets in position to get in the end zone, but the Bears defense forced a second field goal attempt from Folk which he booted through the uprights for a 28-yard field goal and cut their deficit to 17-6.
New York finally got in to the end zone with a crucial touchdown with 3:45 left in the first half when Smith found Jeremy Kerley open the middle of the field for a 19-yard touchdown a few plays after an unsportsmanlike penalty by Lamarr Houston to make it a 17-13 game.
Smith settled in nicely after the interception on his first attempt of the game to give the Jets offense some momentum after a disastrous first five minutes. That momentum could have continued after David Harris sacked Cutler who the officials reviewed and determined he fumbled the ball and was recovered by Harris on the Bears 46-yard line with all three timeouts left.
Harris picked up the fumble and ran it back to the end zone but the referees blew the play dead so the Jets did not get the touchdown and after the Bears forced a three-and-out, the Jets were robbed of seven points and should have had a 20-17 lead at halftime instead of a 17-13 deficit.
Any momentum that the Jets built in the first half when they outscored the Bears 13-3 after the first five minutes qas quickly dashed on a six0play, 80-yard drive by the Bears to open the second half.
After leaving in the first half with an aggravating ankle injury, Brandon Marshall caught a touchdown on the opening series in the second half, but an illegal hands to the face penalty by left guard Michael Ola cost the team the score and moved them back 10 yards.
But that did not derail the Bears drive as Cutler found Bennett for his second score of the night, his second multi-touchdown game of his career, from 13 yards out on a busted coverage from the Jets secondary.
Smith, Chris Ivory and the Jets offense continues to move the ball against this Bears defense, but another poor decision resulted in Bears rookie Kyle Fuller picking off Smith in the end zone, his third interception in the last two games, and cost the Jets at least three points while trailing 24-13 with five minutes remaining in the third.
The Jets forced a three-and-out and a kick-catch interference penalty gave the Jets favorable field position but were once again kept out of the end zone after the drive stalled on the five-yard line and Folk kicked his third field goal of the night to make it a 24-16 game in the final minute of the third quarter.
Following a 10-play, 41-yard drive that took 4:10 off the clock, the Jets had to settle for their fourth field goal of the night as Folk drilled one from 42 yards out to cut the Bears lead to five as the Jets made it 24-19.
The Bears answered to make it an eight-point game after a 6:42 drive over 12 plays and 46 yards on Gould’s second field goal of the evening to make it 27-19 with 3:10 remaining in the game and putting the pressure on Smith to drive 80 yards for a shot at forcing overtime.
Smith led the Jets in to the red zone after converting one fourth down and another third-and-long but the Bears stopped the Jets on a fourth down after a Smith pass to Kerley was caught out of bounds as the Bears somehow scrapped together enough healthy bodies in the secondary to leave with the win.
New York entered the Bears red zone six times but only came away with the lone touchdown as they could not dig themselves out of the hole they put themselves in at the very beginning of the game with two costly turnovers.
Chicago lost starting safety Chris Conte to a shoulder injury and the Jets saw Eric Decker succumb to his hamstring that nearly prevented him from playing tonight, Decker finished with one 19-yard reception on the night.
More from Fansided.com
NFL Power Rankings after Week 3
NFL’s highest-paid players for 2014 season
NFL’s top 20 richest players of all-time