Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, CHicago Bears
Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, CHicago Bears
The Chicago Bears beat the New York Jets 23-12 on Sunday, but that final score barely begins to describe what happened at Soldier Field. This was not a close game. It was not even a routine double-digit victory.
Chicago delivered one of the most lopsided performances the NFL has seen in more than a quarter-century, dominating the Jets so thoroughly that the box score almost looks like a mistake.
The Bears ran 89 offensive plays. The Jets ran 32. That 57-play difference has happened only four times since 1970 and had not occurred in an NFL game since 1999. For perspective, Chicago’s 34 first downs exceeded New York’s entire offensive play total.
NFL: New York Jets at Chicago Bears3
Oct 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) gives a thumbs up after the game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The Bears moved the chains 34 times. The Jets snapped the football 32 times. That is domination on a level rarely seen in the modern NFL.
Ben Johnson’s team controlled possession for 42 minutes and 45 seconds, Chicago’s highest time-of-possession total in a non-overtime game since 1994. The Jets had the football for only 17:15, which meant their offense spent most of the afternoon standing on the sideline watching the Bears wear down their defense.
Chicago outgained New York 492 yards to 157, a 335-yard gap that marked the Bears’ largest positive yardage margin since a 42-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979.
And somehow, the Bears still only won by 11 points.
That is the strange part of Sunday’s game. Chicago had every opportunity to turn the afternoon into a 40-point blowout. It ran 89 plays, did not punt once and piled up 34 first downs. But turnovers, red-zone failures and missed opportunities kept the Jets within shouting distance far longer than they deserved to be.
Tyson Bagent threw an interception that led to Jets points. D’Andre Swift lost a fumble. Chicago also struggled near the goal line early in the game, with two apparent Swift touchdowns overturned on review before the Bears eventually came away empty on the opening possession.
NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears3
Sep 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) signals after he makes a first down against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Those mistakes matter. Against better opponents, they could easily turn a dominant statistical performance into a loss. But even with all the errors, the Jets never truly had a chance to seize control.
The Bears responded to Bagent’s interception with a field-goal drive. They recovered from Swift’s fumble by leaning even harder on the ground game. And when the Jets finally scored their only touchdown — a 58-yard pass from Geno Smith to Isaiah Williams with 9:16 left — Chicago answered by taking the ball and refusing to give it back.
The Bears’ final possession lasted 18 plays, covered 60 yards and drained every remaining second from the clock. Chicago converted five third downs on the drive and ran the Jets into submission. It was the perfect ending to a game built on complete control.
Kyle Monangai was the engine behind that effort. The second-year running back carried the ball 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, both career highs. He repeatedly broke tackles, found extra yards and gave Johnson every reason to keep calling his number after Swift’s fumble removed him from the rest of the game.
Chicago finished with 232 rushing yards and 54 attempts. Since the start of the 2025 season, the Bears have now topped 230 rushing yards four times. No other NFL team has done it more than twice during that stretch.
Week 5 NFL Defense Rankings3
Oct 4, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive line Austin Booker (94) tackles New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
The defense deserves just as much credit.
Dennis Allen’s unit allowed only 157 total yards, held the Jets to seven first downs and did not permit a single third-down conversion on seven attempts. It was the Bears’ first game without allowing a third-down conversion since 1997.
The Jets’ offense was so limited that Chicago ran more plays before halftime than New York ran all afternoon. That is not just strong defense. That is complementary football at its most suffocating.
Bagent, making his first regular-season start in 1,061 days, did not need to be spectacular. He completed 25 of 34 passes for a career-high 268 yards, distributed the ball to multiple weapons and kept the offense moving despite the interception.
Most importantly, he became the third quarterback to lead Chicago to a win through four weeks. The Bears are the first NFL team to accomplish that since the Jaguars in 1997. The Bears are now 3-1, and they have reached that record despite losing Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury and starting three different quarterbacks in four games.
Sunday was not perfect. The red-zone issues remain concerning, and a game this one-sided should not have ended 23-12. But when the Bears needed to impose their will, they did exactly that.
They ran more plays, gained more yards, controlled more time and made more stops than the Jets could handle. The final score says Chicago won by 11.
The rest of the numbers say it was one of the most dominant wins the NFL has seen in decades.