Bears' biggest winners and losers after dominating Jets in Week 4

After another convincing win without Caleb Williams, the list of Bears winners is getting pretty crowded.

(Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Winner: Kyle Monangai

Monangai is no longer just a complement to D'Andre Swift. He was the Bears' best running back in Week 4, and it wasn't particularly close.

Monangai carried a career-high 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. He scored both of the Bears' touchdowns, including a fourth-and-goal score in the first quarter when he displayed his trademark relentless running style.

His workload grew after Swift fumbled early in the third quarter. Chicago kept feeding Monangai, and he kept churning out yards.

Winner: Tyson Bagent

Here's a crazy stat: three Bears quarterbacks have now won games in the first four weeks.

This time, it was Tyson Bagent.

Bagent completed 25 of 34 passes for 268 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception, in his first start since 2023. It wasn't flawless. His second-quarter interception was a poor decision and ended the Jets' NFL-record streak of 20 consecutive games without an interception.

But Bagent consistently moved the offense. He connected with Rome Odunze for gains of 21 and 37 yards, got Colston Loveland involved, and helped Chicago accumulate nearly 500 yards while playing without its franchise quarterback.

Bagent's performance reinforced something Ryan Poles and Johnson have repeatedly emphasized: the Bears have unusually great depth at quarterback.

Williams won Week 1. Case Keenum won Week 3. Bagent won Week 4.

Incredible.

(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Winner: Rome Odunze

Remember Johnson's comments last week about needing to get his pass catchers more involved? Odunze was the beneficiary this week.

After entering Sunday with only eight receptions through three games, Odunze caught six passes for a season-high 94 yards. His biggest play was a 37-yard catch-and-run late in the second quarter that helped set up a Cairo Santos field goal before halftime.

This was exactly the type of game Chicago needed from Odunze. He didn't need 15 targets or a pair of touchdowns to remind everyone why he's such an important part of this offense. He just needed opportunities.

(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Winner: Colston Loveland

Odunze wasn't the only key Bears pass catcher who finally became a bigger part of the offense.

Loveland received a team-high nine targets, catching six for 57 yards after producing only five receptions for 34 yards over the first three games.

Chicago's offense has produced without needing huge receiving numbers from Loveland, but this is the kind of game the Bears expected their 2025 first-round pick to consistently produce this season.

Getting Odunze and Loveland involved on the same afternoon while Luther Burden III added four catches for 63 yards offered a glimpse of how difficult this group can eventually become to defend.

Winner: Dennis Allen's defense

At some point, we need to stop treating the Bears defense's turnaround as a small sample. The Jets managed 157 total yards and seven first downs. Yes, that's it.

Geno Smith completed only 8 of 15 passes for 119 yards. The Jets rushed for 59 yards. The Bears recorded three sacks, with Devin Bush, Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo each getting to Smith.

Garrett Wilson entered the game as New York's biggest offensive threat and finished with only three catches for 27 yards. Even more impressive: New York went 0-for-7 on third down, the first time Chicago held an opponent without a third-down conversion since 1991.

Carolina scored 37 points against this defense in Week 1. In the three games since, Chicago has allowed 28 combined points.

That's more than just a defense getting better. It's becoming a major storyline for this team and if it continues, the Bears could soon become the team to beat in the NFC.

(Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Winner: Ben Johnson

Yes, Johnson is getting credit for what the Bears have produced on offense. But is it enough?

Against Philadelphia, he won while calling plays for Case Keenum. Against the Jets, it was Bagent.

The quarterback changed, but the results didn't for Johnson.

Chicago generated 492 yards, 34 first downs and 42:45 time of possession Sunday. The Bears ran 89 offensive plays, their most since 1999, and didn't punt for the first time since 2014.

The Bears attempted 54 runs, and when Monangai started taking over the game, Johnson kept feeding him.

There are things to criticize about the red-zone execution, but Johnson has now navigated consecutive wins with two different backup quarterbacks.

(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Loser: D'Andre Swift

Week 4 doesn't erase Swift's outstanding start to the season. But Sunday just wasn't his afternoon.

Swift rushed 15 times for 58 yards, with Monangai clearly emerging as the more effective option. More damaging was Swift's third-quarter fumble at the Bears' 28-yard line, which handed New York its best field position of the afternoon. Fumbling is becoming a problem.

Chicago's defense limited the damage to a field goal, but the fumble still mattered.

Monangai's performance also makes this more intriguing than one bad turnover. The Bears have two legitimate running backs deserving touches, and Johnson has shown he'll ride whoever gives his offense the most juice.

On Sunday, that was unquestionably Monangai.

Loser: Bears' goal-to-go offense

The biggest concern coming out of an otherwise excellent offensive performance was the Bears inability to convert in goal-to-go situations.

The Bears opened the game with a massive 14-play, 93-yard drive and somehow came away with zero points after being stopped on fourth down at the Jets' 1-yard line.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears had reached first-and-goal five times against Minnesota and Philadelphia and produced only one touchdown and one field goal. Their first opportunity Sunday ended with another empty possession.

Monangai eventually broke through on fourth-and-goal later in the first half, but the Bears' dominance should have produced considerably more than 23 points.

Against the Jets, it didn't matter. Against better opponents, it will.

Loser: The one explosive coverage bust

It feels almost unfair to put anything from the defense in this category after allowing 157 yards. But Allen will have one play to hammer in defensive meetings this week.

Smith connected with Isaiah Williams for a 58-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, accounting for nearly half of New York's passing yardage on one snap. Tyrique Stevenson was beaten on the play, and it was the only moment when the Jets seriously threatened to change the complexion of the game.

Chicago's defense was otherwise outstanding, which is why the play stands out.

Great defenses don't give opponents cheap ways back into games they've controlled from the first whistle on.

(Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

What's next for the Bears

Next up? The Green Bay Packers.

And suddenly, a 3-1 Bears team against the 2-2 Packers feels like a considerably bigger game than anyone would've imagined when Williams went down two weeks ago. Chicago has done more than just stay afloat over the last two weeks; they've established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC, even without Iceman under center.

In Week 5, they can make a massive statement against their oldest rival.