Week 12 against a depleted Chicago Bears defense provided the perfect opportunity for the New York Jets to get themselves back on track on offense with Mike White at quarterback and to give themselves a confidence boost. Safe to say they did just that in a big 31-10 victory to move to 7-4 on the year and move back into playoff positioning thanks to the New England Patriots losing on Thanksgiving.
Buy Jets TicketsMike White found the magic he had against the Bengals last season, going 22/28 for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He also found quite a connection with Garrett Wilson, hooking up for two touchdowns as Wilson caught five passes for 95 yards. This was Wilson’s first game with a touchdown since Week 2 when he also had two scores against the Cleveland Browns.
Granted, the Bears were missing four key defensive players, including Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson and Dane Cruikshank, but in the rain, White took advantage and led the Jets to 24 unanswered points after being down 10-7.
Also finally getting into the touchdown club this season was Elijah Moore. White hit him for a 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Moore also set a season-high with 64 receiving yards.
With Michael Carter missing action with an ankle injury and James Robinson being inactive, Ty Johnson and Zonovan Knight helped carry the load, including Johnson scoring from 32 yards out for his first touchdown of the season. Johnson and Knight combined for 131 yards on 19 carries. Knight totaled 103 yards, including three catches for 34 yards.
Ten different Jets receivers caught a pass against the Bears as the offense really clicked in the second half, especially on the ground. After only accruing 26 rushing yards in the first half, the Jets found their footing and totaled 132 yards on the ground in the second half. They outgained the Bears 466-292 and were 7/12 on third down.
Against the Patriots in Week 11, the Jets had ten punts. Against the Bears in Week 12, the Jets punted just twice. On the flip side, the Bears punted five times, had a drive end on downs and threw a red-zone interception on their final drive.
This was a much-needed win for the Jets after last week. The Jets are now 7-4 and hold the 7th and final playoff spot in the AFC thanks to the Patriots losing on Thursday to the Vikings, the team the Jets visit next Sunday. Then it’s a trip to Buffalo in Week 14. A key stretch for the Jets as they look to end their playoff drought — their last trip was the 2010 season.
After this two-game road trip, the Jets will have their last two home games in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars before wrapping up the season with trips to Seattle and Miami.
Robert Saleh made a difficult decision to bench the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Zach Wilson. But if the Jets keep this stretch going on offense. it may be the decision that saves the Jets season. For now, it’s a huge victory and the Jets are now 7-4. On to Minnesota.
