Despite not having Khalil Mack or Allen Robinson on the field, the Chicago Bears left Soldier Field with their third win at home on the year. Taking on an offensively-depleted New York Jets, the Bears held a lead for all but nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game and finished the game with a 24-10 victory. Now at 4-3 on the year, they are in a favorable situation heading into their Week 9 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. These are my notes from Sunday’s action. Offense The Windy City lived up to its name yesterday, with winds reaching roughly 20 miles per hour throughout the game. Needless to say, it did have some effect on Mitchell Trubisky’s accuracy. Trubisky completed just 55.2 percent of his passes this week, his second-lowest percentage of the year. He struggled with ball placement on a handful of throws throughout the first half, and his continuous decision making issues showed up in flashes. This was far from his best game, but he didn’t make any truly terrible decisions. His pocket presence was overall solid, as he did a good job of not panicking under pressure and knowing when to scramble. His production on the ground continued, as well, as he added 51 yards on six carries to his 220 passing yards. Trubisky threw two touchdown passes, giving him 13 touchdowns in the past four games, a total that ties Sid Luckman in 1947 for the most by a Bears quarterback in a four-game span. While the second-year signal-caller hasn’t been perfect by any means, he has shown improvement from the beginning of the year and didn’t play terribly in unfavorable conditions. Jordan Howard put together one of his best performances of the year, tallying 81 yards and a touchdown on carries, marking his second game with 80 or more rushing yards on the season. Although 53 of those yards came in the fourth quarter, his playmaking helped the Bears seal the deal late in the game. His ball-carrier vision and explosiveness were both missing for most of the game, as has been the case throughout the year. However, he flashed a lot of promise late in the game. At this point, it seems unlikely that he will retain his former glory this season, but he can still carry out his niche as a heavy-hitting back who can do damage on opposing defenses and tire them out. Tarik Cohen also had a good game. He finished up with 40 rushing yards on five carries, as well as catching one pass for a 70-yard touchdown. The dynamic tail back had nothing but daylight ahead of him on the screen, as the Jets rushed seven on the blitz and had no defenders in coverage at the second level. It was a great play call on Matt Nagy’s part to give one of the most explosive backs in the league acres of green grass to outrun New York’s secondary. The Bears didn’t have Allen Robinson, but they still managed to put together a solid game through the air. Taylor Gabriel and Josh Bellamy - yes, that Josh Bellamy - led the team with four receptions each, while Anthony Miller and Trey Burton each snagged in three balls, with the former scoring his third touchdown of the year on a corner route in tight coverage. Kevin White even got in on the action with one catch, as well as another catch that got called back due to a penalty. Chicago did a good job of involving several weapons in their offense despite poor throwing conditions, which proves that their spread offense concepts are working well. The Bears gave up some pressure off the edge, and their run blocking was not all that impressive for a good chunk of the game. James Daniels, in his first game in the starting lineup, had a good game, though, as he executed his assignments well and made his fair share of good blocks. With the unfortunate injury to Kyle Long, Daniels’ spot in the starting rotation is likely secure barring an injury. Defense Chicago missed Khalil Mack, as they only managed to sack Sam Darnold once all game. Pressure off the edge was lacking, with neither Aaron Lynch nor Leonard Floyd stepping up in the All-Pro’s absence. Darnold’s poor completion percentage - just 48.3 percent on the day - serving mostly as a result of the performance Bears’ secondary and the rookie’s own mistakes. Save for a poorly-timed interception attempt, Kyle Fuller had a solid game. He managed to keep up with New York’s depleted group of receivers step for step, as did Prince Amukamara. Bryce Callahan also had a fantastic game, breaking up three passes and notching the Bears’ lone sack. He should be a priority for them to bring back this offseason. Adrian Amos was quiet, though, as was Eddie Jackson, save for an unnecessary roughness penalty that helped the Jets score their only touchdown of the game. The Bears shut down the Jets’ ground game, only allowing 57 yards all game. Isaiah Crowell and Trenton Cannon both averaged less than two yards per carry, with Sam Darnold being their own player to pick up a gain of more than eight rushing yards on a single play all game. Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols both had three tackles, while Eddie Goldman had four. All three did a good job of eating up gaps and swallowing the Jets’ running backs whole. Danny Trevathan led the team with seven total tackles as he continued his resurgence, and Roquan Smith picked up five tackles of his own. The Bears entered the game as the third-best defense against the run, and they backed up the numbers with their outing this week. Three and out 3. Edge rusher may be a bigger need for the Bears than previously thought. Save for Khalil Mack - obviously - they don’t have any reliable pass rushers at the outside linebacker position. Aaron Lynch has been decent, but he’s a rotational piece at best.<doc-sep>This is an important week for the Jets. A win would allow them to reach the halfway point of the season at .500 with 5 divisional matchups on the back 8. That is actually putting the team in position to succeed, regardless of whether or not they cash in. Losing this week would put the team at 3-5, however, which would probably require the Jets to win a bare minimum of 6 of their remaining 8 games to reach the playoffs. Now is as good a time as ever to get bold. Disclaimer: A Bold Prediction is not something that is likely or probable to happen. Bold Predictions are blind guesses that are laughably optimistic beyond what anyone can reasonably expect to happen, but not so far as to be virtually impossible. Saying that Leonard Williams will get a sack is not a Bold Prediction, nor is saying that Bilal Powell will run for 650 yards. By definition, Bold Predictions are unlikely, but not impossible, to occur. Since this is a Jets site, they are also pro-Jets predictions. As always, the Final Score prediction is meant to be realistic, not a Bold Prediction. Here are my five bold predictions for tomorrow’s game: Isaiah Crowell leads the team in scrimmage yards with over 200. Sam Darnold does not turn the ball over and scores 3 times. Two Jets corners record sacks. The Jets win the turnover battle by at least 4. Four different Jets score a touchdown. And a bonus prediction: Announcers learn nothing from the Jets-Cousins broadcast and mention the Jets’ prior interest in Khalil Mack at least 80,000 times. Final Score: I wasn’t high on the Bears coming into the season, but they do appear to be the more talented team right now. Bears win 28-17.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears and New York Jets have both been dealing with some injuries this week. The Jets had a larger quantity of players dealing with injuries, while the Bears had some massive star power with both outside linebacker Khalil Mack and wide receiver Allen Robinson landing on the injury report throughout the week. Mack and Robinson both missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before the duo was limited on Friday afternoon. Chicago listed the pair as questionable for Sunday's game. The Jets saw numerous players land on the injury report Friday afternoon. Wide receiver Quincy Enunwa was already classified as out, with wideout Robby Anderson, center Spencer Long and cornerback Trumaine Johnson listed as doubtful. Cornerback Morris Claiborne, offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, safety Marcus Maye and linebacker Kevin-Pierre Lewis were all listed as questionable for the contest. Sunday's game is a big one for the Bears as they attempt to get back their footing in the NFC North race. Chicago enters this week at 3-3 and in last place in the NFC North division. The Bears were atop the division heading into last week's game against the New England Patriots. In the division, the Detroit Lions have the easiest path toward a win in Week 8 while hosting the Seattle Seahawks at home. The Green Bay Packers are massive underdogs on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, while the Minnesota Vikings are hosting the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. A win is far from a certainty for the Bears on Sunday and the team will have to take the Jets seriously at home. Prior to kickoff, the Bears released their inactives for the game. Click below to see who was listed.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears have had some ugly looking games this year, but you won’t hear them complain when it ends with a win. The Bears did not play their best against the New York Jets, but it was good enough for a 24-10 win over a team that clearly played worse. In spite of their flaws, Chicago still had individual standouts on both sides of the ball that stepped up to deliver the victory. Here are the Bears’ studs and duds from Week 8. Stud: Bryce Callahan In a contract year, Bryce Callahan is on his way to earning a nice payday this offseason. He’s emerging as one of the league’s top slot cornerbacks, and so far he’s avoided the injury issues that have plagued his career. He finished with three PDs and recorded the team’s only sack with a nice blitz off the edge. Sam Darnold couldn’t get much going to his slot receivers, and Callahan was the main reason why.<doc-sep>
Week 8 of the NFL season has the New York Jets coming off a lopsided home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Losers of four of their last six games, the Jets look to claw their way back to .500 and on the periphery of the AFC playoffs race. Today the Jets face a tough Chicago Bears team on the road in adverse weather conditions, not the ideal way to search for a much needed win. The Bears come into the game tied for last place in the NFC North with a 3-3 record. On offense the Bears are led by second year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. After some struggles early on, Trubisky has been heating up, passing for 300+ yards in each of the last three games. On the season Trubisky has a good 13 to 6 touchdowns to interceptions ratio and a 97+ passer rating. Trubisky is supported by the backfield duo of Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard. On defense the Bears revolve around All World pass rusher Khalil Mack. Mack has an ankle injury which might, if the Jets are fortunate, keep him out, or ineffective, for today’s game. The Jets come into the game hurting. Starting wide receivers Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson are out with injuries, as is starting running back Bilal Powell. The Jets will be forced to rely on a motley crew of offensive weapons which includes a pair of rookies in Trenton Cannon and Chris Herndon, along with disappointing wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and another wide receiver, Rishard Matthews, who was just signed off the street this week. It is not a promising group for Sam Darnold to lead on offense. On defense the Jets are also banged up, with starting safety Marcus Maye a game time decision, #1 cornerback Trumaine Johnson likely out for the game and #2 cornerback Morris Claiborne a game time decision. This is no way to go into a tough road game, but such is life in the NFL. It’s the Jets and the Bears going at it on a wet, raw, blustery, windy day in Chicago. Leave your comments in the section cleverly marked “comments” below. Enjoy the game everybody.