There are losses. And then there are LOSSES. The New York Jets suffered one of the latter on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, a defeat that may reverberate for the games yet to be played this season.
Whatever delusions the Jets and their fans had about being a team on the rise were shattered by the utter beatdown Chicago delivered to the Jets on Sunday. They were thoroughly outplayed by the Bears, who dominated in time of possession, first downs, rushing yards and total yards. The Jets had the ball for a scant 17:15 to Chicago’s 42:45, and were held to 157 total yards to the Bears’ 492.
Rutgers man Kyle Monangai was made to look like Walter Payton by the Jets. He had 146 yards rushing (a 4.9 average) to go with two touchdowns, and seemed to be constantly getting to the second level with ease. The Jets’ defense could not get off the field, and was lucky that the score wasn’t 43-12.
It was left to head coach Aaron Glenn to sum up the game.
“When it comes to this game, I’m very, very disappointed,” Glenn said about the Green & White’s third-straight loss. “Very disappointed on a number of different levels. This was basically just not playing complementary football at its best, and man, the penalties which negated a couple of turnovers, that was tough, and that’s tough to live with.
“And for your defense to go out there and have 90 plays, I think the offense had 30 plays. It’s tough to get something going in that situation.”
The Jets now stand at a crossroads. They are 1-3 and could see their season over by Halloween, a not-unfamiliar position to be in for Gang Green. The Cleveland Browns are next up, a team that has started 3-1 and has a few weapons to torment the Jets.
One area of definite improvement needed stat by the Jets is in penalties. They had 12 for 76 yards, but more important, lost three interceptions to a yellow flag. They also were nailed by penalties for two Bears third-down plays in the fourth quarter.
“So the yards — that’s not really the issue with me,” Glenn said. “It’s more or less the penalties that happened that negated plays where we should have got off the field. I’m more thinking about that than anything else. I mean, yards are yards.
“It’s some of the other undisciplined plays that we have when it comes to penalties. When it comes to having a chance to get off the field and not making the plays that we have to make, and they get to extend drives.”
