Despite a fine day from their offense the Jets fell to the Bears 38–34, on the road, in a surprising shootout between teams with two of the best defenses in the NFL.
All was not lost though as, despite the loss, the Jets actually were able to clinch a playoff berth thanks to a Jacksonville loss.
“Hey, it ain’t the way I wanted it, but I’ll take it,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan said with a smile after pointing out that they were playoff bound despite the loss. Who they play next isn’t determined (though it’s not New England), but the Jets will be in the playoffs for the second straight year due to Jacksonville’s 20–17 overtime loss to the Redskins.
The Jets loss though didn’t fall on the offense this time though. It was the Jets defense, specifically their third quarter defense, that didn’t get the job done.
In that forgettable quarter, the Bears offense started inside Jets territory all three times they had the ball and all three times, they scored touchdowns.
The first score came immediately after the Jets ran an unsuccessful fake punt and took just seconds off the clock as Jay Cutler found Johnny Knox for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
After a quick three-and-out by the Jets offense they were forced to punt to the dangerous Devin Hester, who was able to rumble 38 yards, setting up another short field at the Jets 32-yard line.
Three plays later Cutler found the aforementioned Hester for a 25-yard touchdown catch that put the Bears in front 31–24.
After the Jets responded with a touchdown of their own to tie things up, their special teams again allowed Chicago a short field (the Jets 49-yard line) thanks to another great return. Again the Bears took advantage with another Cutler touchdown pass (third of the quarter), this one to Johnny Knox to put Chicago up 38–31.
All in all, the Bears ran nine plays, all in Jets territory, for 121 yards and three touchdowns in that fateful quarter, which begs the question: What happened to that great Jets defense? “We couldn’t have stopped a nosebleed then,” said a surprised Ryan afterward.
The game wasn’t all bad though. After suffering through a mediocre stretch of the season, quarterback Mark Sanchez had another nice day against a tough defense as he completed nearly two-thirds of his passes (24-for-37) for 269 yards as the Jets actually out-gained the Bears 393–322 in total yards as well as time of possession (33:51 to 26:09).
The Jets, who trailed 10–0 in the first quarter, got things going on offense on their second drive of the game as they marched 80 yards in just under five minutes to pull within 10–7 on the first play of the second quarter.
Seconds later they grabbed a 14–10 lead thanks to a Dwight Lowery 20-yard interception return. And after the two teams traded punts, the Jets drove 36 yards in six plays culminating in a three-yard LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown run to up the lead to 21-10 and seemingly putting the Jets in the driver’s seat.
But the Bears struck back with a seven-play 64-yard drive capped off by a Cutler two-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 21–17. Cutler, at this point, had started to get comfortable in the pocket as the Jets, surprisingly, were unable to put any pressure on the league’s most sacked quarterback. It was a problem that would cost them dearly.
Still, despite the defense’s problems, the Jets offense would have several opportunities to take the lead in the fourth quarter, to no avail. “It’s frustrating because we had chances,” said a disappointed Sanchez afterward.
All was not lost though as, despite the loss, the Jets actually were able to clinch a playoff berth thanks to a Jacksonville loss.
“Hey, it ain’t the way I wanted it, but I’ll take it,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan said with a smile after pointing out that they were playoff bound despite the loss. Who they play next isn’t determined (though it’s not New England), but the Jets will be in the playoffs for the second straight year due to Jacksonville’s 20–17 overtime loss to the Redskins.
The Jets loss though didn’t fall on the offense this time though. It was the Jets defense, specifically their third quarter defense, that didn’t get the job done.
In that forgettable quarter, the Bears offense started inside Jets territory all three times they had the ball and all three times, they scored touchdowns.
The first score came immediately after the Jets ran an unsuccessful fake punt and took just seconds off the clock as Jay Cutler found Johnny Knox for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
After a quick three-and-out by the Jets offense they were forced to punt to the dangerous Devin Hester, who was able to rumble 38 yards, setting up another short field at the Jets 32-yard line.
Three plays later Cutler found the aforementioned Hester for a 25-yard touchdown catch that put the Bears in front 31–24.
After the Jets responded with a touchdown of their own to tie things up, their special teams again allowed Chicago a short field (the Jets 49-yard line) thanks to another great return. Again the Bears took advantage with another Cutler touchdown pass (third of the quarter), this one to Johnny Knox to put Chicago up 38–31.
All in all, the Bears ran nine plays, all in Jets territory, for 121 yards and three touchdowns in that fateful quarter, which begs the question: What happened to that great Jets defense? “We couldn’t have stopped a nosebleed then,” said a surprised Ryan afterward.
The game wasn’t all bad though. After suffering through a mediocre stretch of the season, quarterback Mark Sanchez had another nice day against a tough defense as he completed nearly two-thirds of his passes (24-for-37) for 269 yards as the Jets actually out-gained the Bears 393–322 in total yards as well as time of possession (33:51 to 26:09).
The Jets, who trailed 10–0 in the first quarter, got things going on offense on their second drive of the game as they marched 80 yards in just under five minutes to pull within 10–7 on the first play of the second quarter.
Seconds later they grabbed a 14–10 lead thanks to a Dwight Lowery 20-yard interception return. And after the two teams traded punts, the Jets drove 36 yards in six plays culminating in a three-yard LaDainian Tomlinson touchdown run to up the lead to 21-10 and seemingly putting the Jets in the driver’s seat.
But the Bears struck back with a seven-play 64-yard drive capped off by a Cutler two-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 21–17. Cutler, at this point, had started to get comfortable in the pocket as the Jets, surprisingly, were unable to put any pressure on the league’s most sacked quarterback. It was a problem that would cost them dearly.
Still, despite the defense’s problems, the Jets offense would have several opportunities to take the lead in the fourth quarter, to no avail. “It’s frustrating because we had chances,” said a disappointed Sanchez afterward.
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