Game Balls from Bears' Dominant Week 4 Victory vs Jets

The Chicago Bears made a statement in their second win in as many games without Caleb Williams.

Chicago Bears RB Kyle Monangai celebrates a touchdown at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are not many teams that are hotter than the Chicago Bears right now. They just dismantled the New York Jets on a short week at Soldier Field, winning by a score of 23-12 in a game that was never as close as the scoreboard showed. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's defense channeled their inner 1985 Bears (more on that in a minute) while Tyson Bagent, who started over Case Keenum, overcame early struggles to notch his third NFL win as a starter.

The 2026 NFL season looked bleak for the Bears just two weeks ago. Their playoff hopes took a hit with Caleb Williams' hamstring injury, and the Minnesota Vikings had held head coach Ben Johnson's offense to just three points at home. But the Bears have now won two straight games with two different backup quarterbacks.

There will be plenty of time to analyze this game throughout the week, but for now, let's hand out some game balls.

1. Kyle Monangai

Chicago Bears RB Kyle Monangai celebrates after scoring a touchdown. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

D'Andre Swift didn't have his best day at the office, but Kyle Monangai picked up the slack and earned this first game ball with a statement performance. He carried the rock 30 times for 146 yards and two short-yardage touchdowns. The Jets had absolutely no answers for No. 25, and by the end of the game it looked like they had lost all interest in even trying to tackle him.

The Bears may have signed Swift to a three-year extension in August, but given his red zone struggles and Monangai's breakout performance today, I think there's a valid argument that Monangai is the best running back in Chicago right now.

2. Rome Odunze

Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze makes a catch against the New York Jets. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Credit where credit is due. Odunze caught a lot of flak last week when he dropped the easiest touchdown pass of his life, but he was clutch in Week 4 against the Jets, and that's why he gets this next game ball.

Odunze caught six of his seven targets for 94 yards, doing it all to keep the Bears' offense on track. He made tough, acrobatic catches, picked up yards after the catch, and even hung on to the ball despite taking a big hit by the sideline in the third quarter. He's going to need to string together several more games like this one if he wants to overtake Luther Burden in the race to be the WR1 on the Bears' depth chart.

3. Dennis Allen

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen at Rookie Minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I went back and forth on which defender earned a game ball after this afternoon's masterful performance. Devin Bush, Austin Booker, Dillon Thieneman, and more all deserved one. With that in mind, I'm giving this last game ball to the defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.

Allen had his unit ready for this game and they absolutely stymied the Jets. Quarterback Geno Smith had just 61 passing yards until a 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown in garbage time. The Jets' offense as a whole was zero-for-seven on third down attempts. Chicago's defense may not have taken the ball away, but they proved that they don't need to win the turnover battle to win games.

This was top to bottom, stem to stern domination by Chicago's defense, and Allen deserves the lion's share of the credit for that.

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter