Chicago Bears vs New York Jets – Week 4 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears (2-1) played a great game of football against the Eagles at Soldier Field Monday night. Third-stringer Case Keenum performed like a franchise quarterback, scoring three touchdowns and leading his team to a 27-7 victory.
The question entering this week’s game against the Jets (1-2) is which quarterback option will head coach Ben Johnson go with? Backup Tyson Bagent has cleared concussion protocol and could play, on the other hand, Keenum is the hot hand after the Philadelphia game. Johnson said he has made a decision but he is keeping it to himself until Sunday.
New York comes to Chicago looking much improved from 2025. They won their first game of the season against Tennessee and then lost a pair of one-score games to the Lions and Packers that came down to the fourth quarter.
The Jets brought former quarterback Geno Smith back 10 years after he was last on the roster. So far in 2026 he’s been good with 789 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions through three games. Top running back Breece Hall is doubtful to play this week due to a quad injury, which certainly will hurt them.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson is the top target for Smith with 243 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. 2026 first-round pick tight end Kenyon Sadiq is off to a good start, although, he is nursing a back injury.
New York’s defense has been excellent so far, allowing 258.3 yards per game, the second fewest in the NFL. They have been especially good against the pass, despite the fact they have gone 18 consecutive games without an interception.
The Jets aren’t going to make it easy with a much better roster than the previous bottom feeders they have fielded the previous couple seasons. If the Bears can come out on top in this game they will be in excellent shape to survive the month they are expected to be without Caleb Williams. Let’s see if they can make it happen.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, October 4 at 12:00pm CT on FOX, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Establish the running game early. The Jets are good against the pass so the Bears need to run the ball early. It will also protect whichever quarterback they play.
- Try to force a couple of turnovers. New York has only committed one turnover through the first three games of the season. Smith threw 17 interceptions in 2025, so he will make mistakes.
- Keep converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Chicago did a much better job inside the 20 yard line against the Eagles than they did against the Vikings.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
The Bears are 3.5 point favorites at home against the Jets this week. The expectation is for a low-scoring affair with the over/under at 43.5.
It’s Football Weather
The forecast for Sunday afternoon is bright sunny skies and a high temperature of 70.
My Prediction
The Bears proved they can be efficient without their starting quarterback. The Jets will be pesky and hang around until the final quarter but Chicago will be able to hold them off. The home team will come out on top by a final of 24-20.
Official NFL Preview
Here is the official preview of the Jets-Bears game from the NFL.
