The Bears still don’t know who’s going to be taking snaps on Sunday, and Ben Johnson isn’t giving much away.
Asked about the situation on ESPN Radio 1000, Johnson said the Bears would sort it out internally before deciding whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum gets the nod against the Jets. Bagent has cleared concussion protocol this weekend, and that makes him the likelier option after Keenum led Chicago to an improbable 27-7 blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles on MNF.
“We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff, and we’ll see where we need to go from here,” he noted. “But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again. There was a reason why Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback.”
That leaves the Bears with a tricky call after Keenum’s first start since 2023. He threw for 247 yards, finished with three total touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over or take a sack. He looked in complete control, getting the ball out fast and on time while his receivers kept finding space on deep crossers.
Bagent’s name has already been tied to a move to the Jets this offseason, but he was quickly installed as QB2 to quiet that noise. He’s played in just four NFL games, 63 fewer than Keenum. And based on what showed up Monday night, there’s at least a case to be made that the Jets would rather see Bagent than Keenum.
Around the league, Rich Cimini highlighted Geno Smith’s strong start for the Jets. Smith’s completion rate sits at 75.5%, second in the NFL, and he’s backing that up by protecting the ball.
After throwing a league-high 17 interceptions last season, he hasn’t thrown one in 102 pass attempts. The last time he went three straight games without an interception was the final three games of the 2023 season, his second year as the Seahawks’ starter.
PFF also updated its rookie grades after Week 3, and David Bailey drew praise for his work on the edge. He logged 44 snaps, the most on the unit this past week, added two pressures to push his season total to 10, and chipped in two stops against the run for a 73.6 PFF run-defense grade.
Kenyon Sadiq had his own breakout showing against the Lions. He caught seven passes for 105 yards and scored his first career touchdown on a diving seam catch over Amik Robertson. His 105 receiving yards are the most by any Jets tight end in nearly seven years, and the highest by a Jets rookie tight end since Dustin Keller in Week 10 of 2008.
Garrett Wilson also climbed in PFF’s receiver rankings, moving up to No. 19.
PFF pointed to the way Geno Smith is playing as a big reason Wilson looks set up for a career year. Through 107 receiving snaps, Wilson has 243 yards and two touchdowns on 21 catches without a drop.
Smith made a move in PFF’s quarterback rankings too, jumping five spots to No. 17 and moving past C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers and Bo Nix. PFF noted that he ranks 15th among quarterbacks with a 74.7 grade and has one of the lowest negatively graded play rates at the position, at 4.3%.
The offensive line, meanwhile, slipped only one spot to No. 19 overall, even though the Lions found success attacking the left side. For the first time this season, both Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou posted pass-blocking grades below 60.0. Fashanu allowed six pressures, and the combination of Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith, who replaced him after he left injured, gave up another six.
Wilson didn’t sugarcoat where the Jets stand after the rough start. He said the goal is wins, not moral victories.
“I would say it’s not even glass half full. That might be the outside; that might be their perception of it: ‘Oh, we didn’t expect the Jets to...
‘ We expect to WIN the game. So it’s a letdown, especially the Green Bay game, I would say.
We felt like crap and we’re just excited for another opportunity to go play at the Bears. The reality of it is we all want another chance to go out on the field and make up for the way we’ve started this season.
I think we’re all upset about it. We definitely all feel like we should be in a better spot than where we’re at, sitting at 1-2.
We don’t feel good about it no matter what.”
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. also addressed the Lions’ game-winner, putting the blame on himself for a communication breakdown.
“It was miscommunication, but I take full responsibility on that, though. I just gotta be on point and hear and listen to the call.
But I ain’t going to beat myself up about it or nothing about that. It’s a new week and things happen, but things like that we can’t let happen.
Like I said, man, we’re a great defense when we all play as one, when we communicate and we all on the same page. And just that specific play, we weren’t all on the same page.
So kudos to them on the offensive side of the ball. But, man, we got a new opportunity to come out this weekend and put our defense back on display.”
The injury situation isn’t helping the Jets either. The list of DNPs keeps growing, and all five are now considered week-to-week and unlikely to play.
That would leave the Jets without four offensive starters against the Bears. Braelon Allen would step in for Breece, Sadiq for Taylor, Meredith for Parham, and every receiver would move up a spot.
Omar Cooper Jr. is also on short-term IR.
And then there’s the Ben Johnson problem. Even without knowing the quarterback, the Jets know they’re dealing with one of the toughest offensive minds around. Johnson’s scheme stresses linebackers as much as anyone in football, and he does it in ways that force real confusion.
He’ll send receivers through the C-gaps, and he’s even run two receivers through the same C-gap to create chaos. He also had Joe Thuney pull while Case Keenum snuck in for a score on the play Johnson called the “sucker sneak,” a term he credited to Mike Martz after the game.
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