NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

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1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS September 22, 2014 Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 2 Bears get early breaks, hold on to beat Jets (Dennis Waszak)... 2 Jets' Decker, Bears' Marshall and Jeffery active (Dennis Waszak)... 4 Jets fall short in loss to Bears (Barry Wilner)... 4 Bears' Marshall returns, Jets' Decker out... 6 Bears hold on to beat Jets (Dennis Waszak)... 6 NEWSDAY... 8 Eric Decker gives it a go but leaves game after just one catch (Kimberley Martin)... 8 Muhammad Wilkerson in on two sacks, injured but returns (Kimberley Martin)... 9 Three turnovers doom Jets in loss to Bears (Kimberley Martin)... 9 Jets still are making too many mistakes (Bob Glauber) Bears' Jay Cutler gives Jets' patchwork secondary a workout (Greg Logan) THE RECORD Turnovers costly for Jets in loss to Bears (J.P. Pelzman) NEW YORK POST Jets blast officials, say they got shafted: What else is new? (Brian Lewis) The Jets Eric Decker gamble went as poorly as can be (Brian Lewis) Jets score once on six tries inside the Bears 20 (Brian Costello) That s completely awful': Geno s growing pains haven t gone away (Steve Serby) How Ed Reed is still helping the Jets (Brian Costello) Turnovers, penalties doom Jets in loss to Bears (Brian Costello) Your 2014 Jets: The ultimate tease (Mike Vaccaro) Jets report card: That s an ugly letter, Rex Ryan (Brian Costello) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NY Jets fall to Chicago Bears as Geno Smith throws pair of costly interceptions (Seth Walder) NY Jets WR Eric Decker leaves loss to Bears with nagging hamstring injury (Justin Tasch) NY Jets struggle to score inside red zone (Mitch Abramson) NY Jets Geno Smith may be running out of time as Michael Vick looms in background (Manish Mehta) NEW YORK TIMES Hapless in Big Moments, Jets Fall to the Bears (Ben Shpigel) NJ ADVANCED MEDIA P a g e

2 Bears-Jets inactives: Dee Milliner won't play; Eric Decker, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall active (Darryl Slater) Wayne Chrebet, Leon Hess are Jets' newest Ring of Honor members (Andrew Mills) Jets start slowly, sort of get it together, trail Bears at halftime (Dom Cosentino) Bears 27, Jets 19: The good, the bad and the ugly from Monday night (Darryl Slater) Bears-Jets: Instant analysis from a defeat in which Jets do just enough to lose (Dom Cosentino) Rex Ryan maintains Geno Smith is an improved quarterback: 'I don't care what people say' (Dom Cosentino) Jets not good enough to win when Geno Smith goes bad (Steve Politi) Quinton Coples on Jets' run defense: 'Until somebody beats us, I think we earned a sense of respect' (Darryl Slater) Bears-Jets predictions: Our staff picks for Monday night's game (Dom Cosentino) WALL STREET JOURNAL Jets Make Costly Errors in Loss to Chicago Bears on Monday Night (Stu Woo) ESPN NEW YORK WR Eric Decker active vs. Bears (Rich Cimini) METRO NEW YORK things that went wrong in Jets loss to Bears (Kristian Dyer) MONDAY S SPORTS TRASACTIONS ASSOCIATED PRESS Bears get early breaks, hold on to beat Jets (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears needed to claw back from a big deficit last week. On Monday night, they had to hang on against the New York Jets. "It was quite a game," Bears coach Marc Trestman said after a victory that wasn't sealed until the final moments. Even after spotting the Bears a 14-0 lead with early mistakes, the Jets had one last opportunity to tie, getting into Bears territory on Geno Smith's 51-yard pass to Greg Salas. But Jeremy Kerley came down out of bounds in the back of the end zone after making a leaping grab of Smith's desperation fourth-down heave from the Bears 9. Cutler then took a knee three times to seal the victory for the Bears (2-1). "We just have to ride this momentum," Cutler said. Last weekend, the Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the 49ers in Green Bay. They never trailed in this one, but they had a hard time putting away the Jets (1-2). 2 P a g e

3 "It's not so much that teams are beating us," Jets linebacker Demario Davis said. "We're beating ourselves, and you can't do that in this league." New York was coming off a disappointing loss at Green Bay in which it blew an 18-point lead. Smith was 26 of 43 for 316 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and nearly had a few others in this one. Kerley finished with seven catches for 81 yards, and almost came up with a diving grab off a tipped pass in the end zone on the final drive. "There were some plays you wish you could have back," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. The Jets also scored just one touchdown in six trips into the red zone. Cutler threw two touchdown passes to Martellus Bennett and Ryan Mundy returned an interception 45 yards for a score. Cutler finished 23 of 38 for 225 yards and Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 105 yards for the Bears, who got a 45-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to make it an eight-point game with 3:10 remaining. Here are some other things to know from the Bears' victory over the Jets: QUICK START: The Bears wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. On New York's second play from scrimmage, Smith didn't see Mundy lurking in the flat as he floated a screen pass to Chris Johnson. Mundy stepped in front of the toss and ran it back for a touchdown. After the Jets stopped the Bears on three plays on their first offensive series, rookie Jalen Saunders dropped Patrick O'Donnell's punt at his 40 and it was recovered by the Bears' Ahmad Dixon. Cutler threw deep down the right sideline to Jeffery one play later, and cornerback Darrin Walls was called for pass interference to put the ball at the Jets 7. Three plays later, Cutler rolled right and found Bennett in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0 and get the MetLife Stadium crowd booing. GENO WATCH: The calls for Michael Vick might start to intensify even though it's just three games into the season. Smith passed for the second-most yards of his career, but he's got five turnovers in three games. "I've got to do a better job to give us a chance to win games," Smith said. UNDERRATED BENNETT?: While most of the attention is on Chicago's big wide receivers in Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, Bennett has also become a major factor in the Bears' offense. He leads the team with 20 catches and is tied with Marshall with four TDs and came in with a little extra motivation. "I felt a little disrespected," Bennett said, adding that he watched a video in which Ryan praised the Bears receivers and referred to him simply as "a big dude." INJURIES: The Jets lost wide receiver Eric Decker in the first half to a hamstring injury; he was questionable for the game with tightness in the hamstring. Decker said he pulled himself out when he couldn't get it loosened up. Defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson also left with an injured right knee, but Ryan didn't think it was serious. Bears fullback Tony Fiammetta injured a hamstring and safety Chris Conte hurt his left shoulder. Neither returned. Marshall left in the second quarter after injuring his right ankle, but returned in the second half. 3 P a g e

4 UPSET WITH REFS: After an ill-timed timeout call last week, the Jets took issue with two more incidents involving referees. A video review reversed a call late in the half on which the Jets might have taken the lead. Cutler was sacked by David Harris and lost the ball, but was declared down by contact. A review showed Cutler had fumbled, but Davis' return to the end zone was negated because the whistle had blown. "It could've been a game-changing play, but the referee blew the whistle," Harris said. "What can you do? What else is new? It seems like we're playing against two teams out there sometimes." The Jets were also unhappy with a pass interference call on Darrin Walls that helped set up the Bears' second touchdown. "I thought I had perfect coverage," Walls said. "If anything, I thought it was offensive pass interference." Jets' Decker, Bears' Marshall and Jeffery active (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press September 22, EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker is active and will play against the Chicago Bears after being listed as questionable with tightness in his right hamstring. Bears wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey are also playing Monday night, as expected. Both were listed as questionable as they were last weekend when they played at San Francisco and will start. Marshall (ankle) and Jeffery (hamstring) were limited in practice Saturday. Jets top cornerback Dee Milliner was ruled out with ankle and quadriceps injuries, leaving Antonio Allen and Darrin Walls as the starters. The Bears had already ruled out four starters: center Roberto Garza (ankle) left guard Matt Slauson (ankle), defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (concussion) and linebacker Shea McClellin (hand). Jets fall short in loss to Bears (Barry Wilner) Associated Press September 22, EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) The New York Jets were upset with their weak work in scoring range and with what they claimed was a lack of execution by the officials on a critical second-quarter play Monday night. New York was a woeful 1 for 6 getting touchdowns in the red zone in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The Jets (1-2) got four field goals from Nick Folk, but sloppiness by quarterback Geno Smith was particularly damaging. Not only did Smith throw a pick on a screen pass on the second play from scrimmage that Ryan Mundy turned into a 45-yard touchdown return, he later forced a throw from Chicago's 18. Trying to hit a wellcovered David Nelson in the end zone, instead Smith found rookie Kyle Fuller, who got his third interception in two weeks. 4 P a g e

5 "I put ourselves in a hole with the interception for a touchdown," Smith admitted. "We definitely chipped away and had a chance to win at the end. "We have got to figure that out right now. We never expect to go 1 for 6 (in the red zone) and it starts with me. It is something that happens that doesn't allow us to score seven points. We've got to find a way to score." Coach Rex Ryan didn't lay too much blame on his second-year quarterback, noting how far Smith has progressed from last season. But there were some steps backward against the Bears. "Did he make a mistake?" Ryan said. "He wasn't perfect, absolutely. Their quarterback wasn't perfect. The difference was they got the ball in the end zone." Also part of the difference was a key call near the end of the first half. Cutler was sacked by David Harris and lost the ball, but was declared down by contact. A video review showed Cutler had fumbled, but Demario Davis' return to the end zone was negated because the whistle had blown. The Jets then went three-and-out. "What else can you do?" Harris said. "It seems like we're playing against two teams out there sometimes, but you've got to keep playing and live to play the next down." The Bears took advantage of the early mistakes by the sloppy Jets. Then they had to hold their breath before hanging on. Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes to Martellus Bennett and finished 23 of 38 for 225 yards. Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 105 yards for the Bears, who got a 45-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to make it an eight-point game with 3:10 remaining. The Jets had one last opportunity to tie, getting into Bears territory on Smith's 51-yard pass to Greg Salas. But Jeremy Kerley was out of bounds when he caught Smith's desperation fourth-down heave from the Bears 9. Cutler took a knee three times to seal the victory for the Bears (2-1). Smith was 26 of 43 for 316 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and nearly had a few others. Kerley finished with seven catches for 81 yards, and almost came up with a diving grab off a tipped pass in the end zone on the final drive. "There were some plays you wish you could have back," Ryan said. The Jets lost wide receiver Eric Decker in the first half to a hamstring injury after he was questionable for the game with tightness in the hamstring. Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson hurt his knee in the fourth quarter but Ryan didn't think it was serious. The Bears went up 14-0 just over 5 minutes into the game. On New York's second play from scrimmage, Smith didn't see Mundy lurking in the flat as he floated a screen pass to Chris Johnson. Mundy stepped in front of the toss and ran untouched into the end zone. It was the sixth-year veteran's third career interception, and first score. After the Jets stopped the Bears on their first offensive series, rookie Jalen Saunders dropped Patrick O'Donnell's punt at his 40 and it was recovered by Ahmad Dixon. Cutler threw deep down the right sideline to Jeffery one play later, and cornerback Darrin Walls was called for pass interference to put the ball at the Jets 7. 5 P a g e

6 Three plays later, Cutler rolled right and found Bennett in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0 and get the MetLife Stadium crowd booing. The Jets got on the scoreboard on their next possession with Folk's 43-yard field goal. Chicago answered with a 15-play, 79-yard drive helped by cornerback Antonio Allen's holding penalty on a third-down incompletion by Cutler. Gould's 24-yard field goal gave the Bears a 17-3 lead 66 seconds into the second quarter. The Jets got their next series off to a good start with a 43-yard completion to rookie tight end Jace Amaro, but they stalled in the red zone again, settling for a 28-yard field goal. New York got closer with a 77-yard drive on which Kerley accounted for 51 including a 19-yard touchdown that cut the deficit Chicago marched 80 yards on six plays to open the second half, capping the drive with Bennett's 13-yard catch to make it Folk's 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter made it His 42-yarder with 9:52 remaining got the Jets within five points. Bears' Marshall returns, Jets' Decker out Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall returned to the game after injuring his right ankle in the second quarter against the New York Jets. Jets wide receiver Eric Decker left the game in the first half Monday night with a hamstring injury, and was ruled out in the fourth quarter. Decker had been uncertain to play with his balky right hamstring. The Bears initially said Marshall, who was questionable for the game with the ankle ailing, was probable to return but then downgraded him to questionable. The star receiver headed to the locker room midway through the quarter, but was back at the start of the second half. He caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on the Bears' opening possession, but the play was negated by a penalty. Marshall was injured during a 6-yard end-around run by wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Marshall had yet to make a reception in the game. Bears fullback Tony Fiammetta injured a hamstring and safety Chris Conte hurt his left shoulder and both were ruled out for the rest of the game. Safety Ryan Mundy was questionable to return with a shoulder injury Bears hold on to beat Jets (Dennis Waszak) Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) The Chicago Bears took advantage of early mistakes by the sloppy New York Jets. Then they had to hold their breath before hanging on for a victory Monday night. 6 P a g e

7 Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes to Martellus Bennett and Ryan Mundy returned an interception 45 yards for a score. Cutler finished 23 of 38 for 225 yards and Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 105 yards for the Bears, who got a 45-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to make it an eight-point game with 3:10 remaining. The Jets (1-2) had one last opportunity to tie, getting into Bears territory on Geno Smith's 51-yard pass to Greg Salas. But Jeremy Kerley was out of bounds when he caught Smith's desperation fourth-down heave from the Bears 9. Cutler took a knee three times to seal the victory for the Bears (2-1). Smith was 26 of 43 for 316 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions and nearly had a few others. Kerley finished with seven catches for 81 yards, and almost came up with a diving grab off a tipped pass in the end zone on the final drive. "There were some plays you wish you could have back," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. The Jets lost wide receiver Eric Decker in the first half to a hamstring injury after he was questionable for the game with tightness in the hamstring. The Bears went up 14-0 just over 5 minutes into the game. On New York's second play from scrimmage, Smith didn't see Mundy lurking in the flat as he floated a screen pass to Chris Johnson. Mundy stepped in front of the toss and ran untouched into the end zone for a 45-yard score. It was the sixth-year veteran's third career interception, and first score. After the Jets stopped the Bears on three plays on their first offensive series, rookie Jalen Saunders dropped Patrick O'Donnell's punt at his 40 and it was recovered by Ahmad Dixon. Cutler threw deep down the right sideline to Jeffery one play later, and cornerback Darrin Walls was called for pass interference to put the ball at the Jets 7. Three plays later, Cutler rolled right and found Bennett in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0 and get the MetLife Stadium crowd booing. The Jets got on the scoreboard on their next possession, capping an 11-play, 55-drive with Nick Folk's 43- yard field goal. Chicago answered with a 15-play, 79-yard drive helped by cornerback Antonio Allen's holding penalty on a third-down incompletion by Cutler. Gould's 24-yard field goal gave the Bears a 17-3 lead 66 seconds into the second quarter. The Jets got their next series off to a good start with a 43-yard completion to rookie tight end Jace Amaro, but they stalled in the red zone again, settling for a 28-yard field goal. New York got closer with a 77-yard drive on which Kerley accounted for 51 including a 19-yard touchdown that cut the deficit A video review reversed a call late in the half on which the Jets might have taken the lead. Cutler was sacked by David Harris and lost the ball, but was declared down by contact. A review showed Cutler had fumbled, but Demario Davis' return to the end zone was negated because the whistle had blown. The Jets then went three-and-out. Chicago opened the second half aggressively, marching 80 yards on six plays and capping the drive with Bennett's 13-yard touchdown catch to make it P a g e

8 The Bears nearly had a 12-yard TD by Marshall, but it was wiped out by an illegal hands to the face penalty on left guard Michael Ola, who started for the injured Matt Slauson. The Jets also blew a possible scoring drive when Smith was intercepted by rookie Kyle Fuller on a poorly thrown pass to David Nelson in the end zone on first-and-10 from the Bears 18. "You can't force it in that situation," Ryan said. "You learn from it." Folk's 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter made it His 42-yarder with 9:52 remaining got the Jets within five points. NOTES: Bears fullback Tony Fiammetta injured a hamstring and safety Chris Conte hurt his left shoulder. Neither returned.... Mundy also sat out portions of the game with a shoulder injury. NEWSDAY Eric Decker gives it a go but leaves game after just one catch (Kimberley Martin) Newsday Eric Decker wasn't about to sit. The competitor in him needed to be on the field Monday night, doing anything he could to help his team earn a victory. But in the end, Decker wasn't able to do much of anything against the Chicago Bears. The Jets' top receiver was cleared to play after testing his hamstring during warm-ups, but he was ruled out in the second half because of tightness in his leg. "It felt good to the point where it wasn't painful," said Decker, who caught one pass for 19 yards. "It wasn't a pain that was going to lead to something more severe. It was a soreness, and I've played through a lot of soreness in my career so far. I felt like I wanted to give it a chance. I didn't want to sit out. I didn't do anything stupid with playing. I pulled myself at the right time. It's just unfortunate that I had to come off." Decker -- who left last week's loss in Green Bay with the injury -- did not practice all week until Saturday, when he was limited. He was listed as questionable on the official injury report, but the medical staff made the call after seeing Decker do agility drills and straight-line sprints about three hours before the game. Coach Rex Ryan said he believed that Decker would make it through the game, adding that the plan wasn't to use the Jets' No. 1 receiver on every snap. "We were going to cut his reps way back, and we did that," Ryan said. "That was the plan going in." Now the Jets have a short week of preparation before Sunday's game against the Lions. And for a second straight week, Decker's game-time status will be a major story line. But he didn't seem worried about missing the game. "I don't call today a setback," he said, adding that the tightness he felt Monday night isn't on par with the initial injury he suffered in Green Bay. "I got out at the right time. If I keep progressing, I feel like I'll be good to go by the weekend." Decker made it clear he had no regrets about suiting up against the Bears. 8 P a g e

9 "It's hard when you're a competitor," he said. "You want to be out there every day. You don't want to miss a practice or miss a game. I haven't missed a game in my career besides the playoffs. Honestly, that's how it is. If I can give it a go, I'm going to give it a go." Muhammad Wilkerson in on two sacks, injured but returns (Kimberley Martin) Newsday The Jets suffered a scare late in the fourth quarter Monday night when Muhammad Wilkerson was forced to leave the game against the Bears because of a knee injury. Wilkerson, their star defensive player, collided with a teammate after sacking Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler for a 4-yard loss. Wilkerson was down for several minutes, writhing in pain. He eventually was helped to his feet and limped slowly to the sideline. The medical staff spent several minutes checking out his right knee. Wilkerson returned to the field for the final seconds of the game when the Bears took a knee on second and third down to end the game. Rex Ryan didn't have any details about Wilkerson's injury during his postgame briefing. A Jets spokesman later said the coach doesn't believe Wilkerson's injury is serious. Wilkerson -- who led the Jets with 10 1/2 sacks last season -- also teamed with Demario Davis for an 8- yard sack in the third quarter, marking the third time in Wilkerson's career that he has had more than one sack in a game. Three turnovers doom Jets in loss to Bears (Kimberley Martin) Newsday The Jets set out to make a statement on Monday Night Football. In the days leading up to the game, Rex Ryan's players talked about feeling disrespected and vowed to prove a point in front of a national audience. "This is where you really get to make your name,'' defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said Friday. But the only thing Rex & Co. proved Monday night is this: They're not yet ready for the prime-time spotlight. Geno Smith threw two interceptions -- and several more passes that should have been picked off -- in a loss to the Bears at MetLife Stadium. Smith did bounce back in the second quarter, and receiver Greg Salas gave the crowd life with 1:41 left with a 51-yard catch-and-run. But Smith threw incomplete to David Nelson on third-and-5 from the 9-yard line, followed by a throw that Jeremy Kerley caught out of the end zone. The Jets made several key stops but couldn't contain Alshon Jeffery (eight catches, 105 yards) or tight end Martellus Bennett (two touchdowns). 9 P a g e

10 The Jets' top receiver, Eric Decker, was a nonfactor. Decker (one catch, 19 yards) was cleared to play after testing his hamstring during warm-ups, but he spent more time on the sideline than on the field. Had it not been for Nick Folk's four field goals, the score wouldn't have been close. Within minutes, the Jets had committed two turnovers and two penalties to help the Bears to a 14-0 lead. "The three turnovers were the difference in the game,'' said Ryan, who called the 14-0 deficit "a hole we couldn't dig out of.'' Smith's pick-six set the tone early. On the game's second play, Smith faked left on a bubble screen, then went to his right. But instead of connecting with running back Chris Johnson, he threw the ball right to safety Ryan Mundy. He made the Jets pay, racing 45 yards for his first career touchdown. According to the ESPN telecast, it was the first pick-six in the first minute of a game in Monday Night Football history games in 45 seasons. Things got worse before they got better for the Jets (1-2). Jalen Saunders muffed a punt in the first quarter that the Bears' Ahmad Dixon recovered at the Jets' 40. Next came a pass-interference call on cornerback Darrin Walls, who started in place of injured Dee Milliner. The 33-yard penalty on Walls gave the Bears a first down on the 7. After two incompletions to Brandon Marshall, Jay Cutler teamed with Bennett, the former Giant, for a 7-yard touchdown. But the Jets -- and Smith -- responded in the second quarter. Trailing 17-3, Folk connected on his second field goal, a 28-yarder. Smith made it a game with a 19-yard TD pass to Kerley with 3:45 left in the half. Smith's erratic play resurfaced in the third quarter. He lofted an ill-advised pass to Nelson, who was double-teamed in the back of the end zone, and rookie Kyle Fuller picked it off. The Bears (2-1), however, did everything they could to keep the Jets in the game. After Kerley made a fair catch on a 34-yard punt, Terrell Manning ran into him for a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. That put the Jets on the Bears' 28, but they soon were done in by their playcalling. The Jets entered leading the NFL in rushing offense (179 yards per game) and rushing defense (52.5 yards). But on third-and-goal at the 2, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg had Smith try to run it in instead of bruising back Chris Ivory (44 yards, 10 carries). Smith lost 2 yards, which forced the Jets to settle for a 22-yard field goal. The Jets also were hurt by some questionable officiating calls. The most egregious came late in the second quarter, when linebacker David Harris sacked Cutler for a loss of 10 with the Jets trailing The ball squirted out of Cutler's hands before his arm hit the ground and linebacker Demario Davis scooped up the ball and raced toward the end zone. But referee Jerome Boger whistled the play dead, ruling Cutler down by contact and negating the would-be TD. After viewing a replay, the officials reversed the call and the Jets had the ball on the Bears' 46. They couldn't capitalize and trailed by four at halftime. Notes & quotes: The Jets announced that former owner Leon Hess and wide receiver Wayne Chrebet will be inducted into their Ring of Honor Dec. 1. Jets still are making too many mistakes (Bob Glauber) Newsday 10 P a g e

11 Coming off a positively miserable performance in Green Bay, where his team blew an 18-point lead with a series of epic failures that left even the most hardened Jets fans shaking their heads in disbelief, Rex Ryan remained undeterred by the Week 2 collapse. In fact, he insisted that the loss might galvanize the team moving forward. Not quite. "As a competitor, you can't stand it," Ryan said after the loss to the Packers. "Does it stay with you? Absolutely. But you move on from it and hopefully there's something about that loss that you can take from it and actually improve on." Not sure what Ryan could have taken away from that colossal meltdown and improve on, other than the need to avoid boneheaded mistakes. But the only way the Jets truly could recover from last week's wasted opportunity was to put on a much crisper, much more mistake-free game against the Bears Monday night at MetLife Stadium. Show a national television audience that you're more like the team that built a commanding lead against the tough Packers on the road, not the one that came apart at the seams. But in their loss to the Bears, it didn't take long for the Jets to deliver their answer: On the second play of the game, Geno Smith threw what should have been a simple dump-off pass to running back Chris Johnson. Instead, former Giants safety Ryan Mundy stepped in front of Johnson and picked it off, racing 45 yards for a touchdown just 32 seconds in. If you flashed back to Thanksgiving night in 2012, when the Jets had one of the lowest moments in franchise history with a series of miscues capped by Mark Sanchez's "butt fumble," you weren't alone. Mundy crossed the same goal line that three Patriots players ran past after turnovers. Jalen Saunders added to the misery for the Jets when he couldn't handle a first-quarter punt near midfield and allowed the Bears to come up with another turnover at the Jets' 40. Four plays later, Jay Cutler hit former Giants tight end Martellus Bennett for a 7-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. The Jets did show some fight later in the half, with Smith running the offense with more precision. He got the Jets to within with a pair of field-goal drives and a nice 19-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Kerley with 3:45 left in the half. The Jets might have taken the lead had officials ruled that Cutler fumbled in the final minute. Instead, it was ruled that Cutler was down by contact, so Demario Davis' apparent fumble return for a touchdown was negated. More problems in the second half offered proof that the Jets wouldn't be rebounding from last week's loss. Antonio Allen, who suggested this week that Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery is "lazy sometimes," was torched by Jeffery for a 42-yard gain, leading to a Bears touchdown. Try as they might, the Jets couldn't overcome that shaky start. They still had a chance to tie it at the end - - just as they did last week against the Packers -- but Smith got no further than the Bears' 9. He tried to hit Kerley on fourth down for the tying score, but Kerley came down with the ball past the end line. The Jets could ill afford a second straight loss, especially with a killer schedule coming up and a series of elite quarterbacks on the docket. 11 P a g e

12 On Sunday, it's Matthew Stafford and the Lions at MetLife. After that, they face Philip Rivers and the Chargers in San Diego, host Peyton Manning's Broncos and play Tom Brady's Patriots in Foxborough. Ryan fancies his team a playoff contender, and if the Jets can get to 6-4 after their brutal schedule, they will have earned the right to be called one. But there can't be many missteps, and their performance level has to get better. It certainly wasn't good enough Monday night. Bears' Jay Cutler gives Jets' patchwork secondary a workout (Greg Logan) Newsday In Week 2, the Jets couldn't hold an 18-point lead in a loss at Green Bay. On Monday night at MetLife Stadium, they found themselves trailing Chicago by two touchdowns almost before the "Monday Night Football" theme song ended. "It's tough," cornerback Antonio Allen said. "We tried to do it vice-versa, and we still came out with the 'L.' " A pick-6 thrown by Jets quarterback Geno Smith on the first possession and a controversial passinterference penalty on cornerback Darrin Walls put the Jets in a hole they couldn't climb out of in a loss to the Bears. If not for those two plays, the Jets' defense had a right to believe it kept Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery under control for the majority of the game. But as Allen said: "We played a decent game. But NFL games are close, and we didn't put up enough points and get enough stops to win." Of course, there was nothing the Jets' defense could do about the interception return for a TD to start the game. Then a muffed punt by rookie Jalen Saunders set up the Bears at the Jets' 40-yard line. Cutler immediately went deep to Jeffery, but the ball was underthrown. Walls came back to it and got a hand on the ball in front of Jeffery, but the flag came out and gave the Bears a first down at the 7-yard line, leading to a TD pass of that length to tight end Martellus Bennett for a 14-0 lead. "To me, I thought I had perfect position," Walls said. "If anything, that was offensive pass interference. I tried to go up for the ball, but [Jeffery] was holding my hand." It was a tough start, but the defense kept the Jets in the game from that point and gave them a chance to tie right to the end. Marshall was targeted six times by Cutler but was held to one catch for 6 yards while mainly being covered by Walls. Jeffery had impressive numbers with eight catches for 105 yards, but his night really boiled down to two key catches. Jeffery caught a 42-yard pass against Allen, his former college teammate at South Carolina, on the Bears' opening drive of the second half. That led to a 13-yard TD pass by Cutler to a wide-open Bennett for a lead. Clearly, sixth defensive back Phillip Adams was out of position on the play. "It was a communication deal," Adams said. "I never want to let that happen again. I have to be aware of everything... Our aim was to keep everything in front of us, and for the most part, we kept them contained." 12 P a g e

13 But the Jets still allowed the Bears to convert 7 of 15 third-down plays, including two big ones on a 12- play drive lasting 6:42 for the final field goal plus the Bears' two touchdown passes. Jeffery caught a thirdand-9 pass for 13 yards, and Matt Forte's 8-yard third-down run kept the drive going. "When the game is this close, you have to get off the field on third down," Walls said. "We gave up two TDs in the red zone on third down." THE RECORD Turnovers costly for Jets in loss to Bears (J.P. Pelzman) The Record EAST RUTHERFORD After the game, Demario Davis still was defiant. And he had a reason to be. It should have a been a touchdown, the Jets third-year linebacker said, referring to his score-thatwasn t. For the second straight game, the Jets were victimized by a whistle that stopped a touchdown in progress. Only this time, it wasn t their fault. The officials prematurely blew dead a play on which Davis picked up a fumble by Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler. A replay review gave the Jets the ball at the Chicago 46, but they were denied a touchdown and the offense then went three-and-out. The missed score eventually loomed large in a Chicago victory at MetLife Stadium, the second straight loss for the Jets (1-2). But the Jets also had plenty of their own mistakes to rue, including a pick-six thrown by Geno Smith on the second play from scrimmage, and a muffed punt by rookie Jalen Saunders that led to another touchdown. Still, it wasn t hard to play the what-if game after Davis near-touchdown, which came with Chicago (2-1) ahead late in the first half. David Harris sacked Cutler for a 10-yard loss, and replays showed the ball came free before Cutler hit the ground. However, the whistle blew before fellow linebacker Davis scooped up the ball, with no Bears in front of him. This happened eight days after an ill-advised Jets timeout nullified a touchdown pass from Smith to Jeremy Kerley. When asked if Monday s play was frustrating, coach Rex Ryan said, I ll let you guys [reporters] figure out how frustrating that is. They are supposed to let the play stay open, Davis said, referring to the officials. In my mind, it should have been a touchdown, but you can t change that. Still, Davis admitted, we have to play better. We have to, as players, find a way to play up to our potential. Despite all of this, the Jets almost sent the game into overtime. 13 P a g e

14 Chicago used a 12-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to take a lead with 3:10 left. The Jets then took over at their 20 after a touchback and Smith converted a fourthand-3 at the 27 with a 3-yard pass to Jace Amaro, three plays after Chicago linebacker Jonathan Bostic dropped a sure interception. On third-and-11 from the 29, Smith hit Greg Salas on a catch-and-run for 51 yards to give the Jets a first down at the Chicago 20. But unfortunately for the Jets, Kerley was out of the end zone when he made a leaping grab of Smith s pass on fourth-and-5 from the 9 with 58 seconds left. Of six trips to the red zone, the Jets managed only one touchdown. We re getting down there time and time again, Kerley said. We ve just got to put it in. Smith had a 19-yard scoring pass to Kerley in the second quarter, but also threw a screen pass way off the mark to ex-giant Ryan Mundy, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead only 32 seconds into the game. Saunders misplayed punt led to the first of two touchdown passes from Cutler to former Giants tight end Martellus Bennett and a 14-0 Chicago lead with 9:54 left in the first quarter. It s a hole that we couldn t dig ourselves out of, Ryan said, later adding, I feel good about this team and I feel good about Geno Smith. Smith said he should have thrown the ball into the ground on his first interception. His second pick, by cornerback Kyle Fuller, came on a first down from the Chicago 18 in the third quarter. I m giving my guy a chance, said Smith, who hoped the 6-foot-5 Nelson could outleap the 5-11 Fuller. However, Fuller had excellent inside position on Nelson and the pass wasn t thrown high enough to become a jump ball between Nelson and Fuller. BRIEFS: Jets WR Eric Decker, a surprise starter despite a hamstring injury, made one reception for 19 yards before removing himself from the game because the hamstring had tightened up. Former Jet Santonio Holmes had two receptions for 9 yards for the Bears and one punt return for 11 yards and was the target of some booing fans. If you ve been through one, you ve been through them all, Holmes said when asked if it was strange being a visitor. He began his career with Pittsburgh before being traded to the Jets in April Garfield s Wayne Chrebet, who starred for the Jets as a wide receiver for 11 seasons, will be inducted into the team s Ring of Honor on Dec. 1. So will former owner Leon Hess. NEW YORK POST Jets blast officials, say they got shafted: What else is new? (Brian Lewis) New York Post The Jets had plenty of self-inflicted wounds in Monday night s loss to Chicago. Still, they claimed they had enough tough calls go against them it felt as if they were facing two foes in black and white the Bears and the refs. What else is new? linebacker David Harris said. It seems like we re playing against two teams out there sometimes. Harris was at the heart of two of the glaring and costly calls that went against Gang Green. First came a long pass interference on Darrin Walls that set up Chicago s second touchdown, and put the Jets 14 P a g e

15 in a quick 14-0 hole. Then came the even more egregious call, when the referees whistled a play dead as Demario Davis rumbled in with a fumble that would have been a touchdown. On second-and-10 from the Jets 44 with 1:34 left in the half, Harris had broken free and sacked Cutler for a loss of 10 yards, twisting him down by the leg and forcing the ball loose. Davis scooped the ball up at the Bears 46 and started racing unimpeded toward the end zone, as referees declared the ball was dead. After a review clearly showed Cutler had fumbled, the call on the field was overturned and the Jets awarded the ball but a lousy call cost them a touchdown. I ll let you guys figure out how frustrating that is, Rex Ryan said. Harris explained the frustration. In that situation the referee has got to let the play go on, Harris said. He blew the whistle quick. What can you do about it? The play s over. It could ve been a game-changing play, but the referee blew the whistle. What can you do? It would have given the Jets a lead just before the half. Instead, they never took the lead. The Jets took over at the 46 with 1:30 left, and failed to move the ball, actually losing a yard before punting and going into the locker room down I knew it was a fumble, Davis said. And it should ve been a touchdown. I talked to a couple of referees before [Monday]. They re supposed to let the play stay open. They re taught to call that a fumble because you always can review it, but if you call it dead the play dies there. That came back to bite us in the butt. But we haven t had the best officiating in games. But it comes with the territory. But that s not an excuse. It should ve been a touchdown. If they wouldn t have blown it dead it would ve been a touchdown. In my mind it was a touchdown. But you can t change that. Another call went against the Jets to put them in an early hole. On first-and-10 from the Jets 40 in the first quarter, Cutler threw deep to Alshon Jeffery, who tried to come back for the ball and appeared to grab Walls arm from behind when the cornerback had inside position. But the flag went against Walls, a 33-yard penalty that set up Cutler s touchdown pass three plays later and a 14-0 Bears lead. He didn t give me any explanation, he just said pass interference. I didn t think it was pass interference. I felt like I was in perfect position. I tried to go up by my hand was held, said Walls, who initially assumed the flag was on Jeffery. I thought it was offensive pass interference. The Jets Eric Decker gamble went as poorly as can be (Brian Lewis) New York Post The Jets took a risk by playing Eric Decker on Monday night. They gambled on the gimpy wideout and his sore hamstring, and lost. Gang Green started Decker, who has been hobbled all week and was officially listed as questionable for the game. But he was forced from the game with a hamstring injury in the first quarter, returning only to leave again for good midway through the second. The Jets lost their high-priced leading receiver, then lost to Chicago at MetLife Stadium. Now Decker has to try to recover from a notoriously tricky injury on short rest with the Lions coming to town Sunday. 15 P a g e

16 [I ran] a few plays and decided it was best to step aside and pull myself out. I gradually tightened up, Decker said. It was to the point where it wasn t loosening up, and instead of doing something stupid and really hurting something down the road I decided to pull myself and give myself a chance. Decker who the Jets pried away from Denver with a five-year, $36.25 million deal in March suffered the initial injury in the Week 2 loss in Green Bay. He didn t practice last week until Saturday. Turns out Gang Green should have erred on the side of caution. The Jets started Decker, and on third-and-4 from the Jets 41 midway through the first quarter, he made a 19-yard catch deep down the right sideline. But he left the game, only to return briefly. He exited again in the second quarter, spending most of the game holding his helmet on the sideline. Decker came into the game with nine catches for 137 yards and a touchdown, all team highs. The Jets were determined to give him every opportunity to play, even if he didn t practice all week. Now the question is whether he set himself back. I m just going to take it day by day. I really think with the progress I made last week and even [Monday] I don t call [Monday] a setback. If I keep progressing I feel like I ll be good to go by the weekend, said Decker, who added this injury isn t as severe as the one he suffered in the loss to the Packers. In Green Bay it was a different feeling than it is now. [Monday] it was just a tight feeling that wouldn t loosen up, and if I pushed through it, it could create something worse. Understanding my body, I knew that was the best thing to allow myself to be more productive throughout the year instead of do something stupid and be out a month. Jets score once on six tries inside the Bears 20 (Brian Costello) New York Post The Jets had a terrible night in the red zone, converting only one time in their six trips down there on Monday night. Jets quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception in the end zone on the worst trip of the night, but everything the Jets did down there seemed to fail. You go down there six times and only come away with one score, guard Willie Colon said. That s not our brand of football. It s frustrating. Smith was picked off by Kyle Fuller in the third quarter when he made a terrible decision to throw the ball up in the end zone. You can t force it in that situation, Jets coach Rex Ryan said. DE Muhammad Wilkerson left the game late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Ryan, through a spokesman, said the team did not believe the injury was serious. RB Chris Johnson had 34 yards on 10 carries with a long of 6. Johnson has 123 yards on 35 carries and it appears Chris Ivory is a better option for the Jets. I feel I played all right, Johnson said. I feel everybody can get better, starting with myself. CB Dee Milliner did not play with a quad injury. This was the second game Milliner has missed this season and the fifth game in his two-year career 16 P a g e

17 The Jets announced they will induct former owner Leon Hess and former wide receiver Wayne Chrebet into the Ring of Honor at halftime of their Dec. 1 game with the Dolphins Jeremy Kerley replaced rookie Jalen Saunders as the punt returner after Saunders muffed a first-quarter punt Michael Vick played one play in the game, a 3-yard run. Besides Milliner, the other Jets inactives were: WR Walter Powell, LB Ikemefuna Enemkplai, LB A.J. Edds, OL Dakota Dozier, T Ben Ijalana and NT T.J. Barnes That s completely awful': Geno s growing pains haven t gone away (Steve Serby) New York Post The quarterback gets too much of the credit when things go well and too much of the blame when things go wrong, and on Monday night, when Geno Smith was shocked and clawed by the Bears, things went wrong. The growing pains don t necessarily stop growing just because you are no longer a rookie quarterback. Bears 27, Jets 19 began with a pick-six by Ryan Mundy and ended with a fourth-down incompletion to Jeremy Kerley over the back of the end zone and out-of-bounds. It starts with myself, Smith said. I ve gotta make sure that when we get down in that red zone we were 1-for-6 today, and that s completely awful. We don t ever expect to ever go 1-for-6 because we hold ourself to a high standard, and it starts with me. He had one last chance to redeem himself with three minutes and change left, 80 yards from a chance to force overtime. His first-down pass over the middle should have been intercepted but was dropped by Jon Bostic. His fourth-and-3 pass for Jace Amaro got the first down. Bearly. And then: third-and-11 following a false-start penalty against Willie Colon. Smith surveys the field, surveys it some more, finds Greg Salas over the middle. Salas sheds cornerback Kyle Fuller, and races down the left sidelines for 51 yards. The Jets no, not Sheldon Richardson call their second timeout before third-and-5 at the Bears 9. 1:08 on the clock. Smith throws incomplete wide of David Nelson. Smith, under pressure, lofts a Hail Kerley against Brock Vereen. Kerley catches it out-of-bounds. I think maybe better timing would have given us a better chance on that play, Smith said. Kind of got my arm hit, and wasn t able to put it exactly where I wanted it. Jeremy went up and made a great catch, but it was a step too late. Smith stands alone, hands on hips. Kerley trudges to the Jets bench. 17 P a g e

18 Smith found himself in this pickle because Rex Ryan s beloved defense allowed Jay Cutler to eat up over six minutes on the fourth-quarter field-goal drive that made it Smith has to stop throwing picks on Any Given Mundy. One of those plays where I just gotta see out front of him, see color, and throw the ball in the ground, Smith said about the pick-six. He sprayed the ball around with his gifted right arm, but made the kind of critical errors Cutler did not make against Ryan s disoriented secondary. First down at the Bears 18, Fuller darted in front of David Nelson for an interception in the end zone. If we execute better in the red zone then we re not having this conversation, Ryan said. You ll notice we re having this conversation, however. I have utmost confidence in my wideouts, Smith said. Looking back on it, if I could, I wouldn t have done it again, because obviously it hurt us. It s one of those things where I ve gotta learn from it, and I will learn from it and get better. There was Good Geno, but there was also Bad Geno: Second-and-9 from the Bears 15, he took a 13-yard sack. Third-and-5 from the Bears 10, he had a pass batted down by Stephen Paea. First down at the Bears 24, he threw behind Nelson over the middle. Third-and-goal at the 2, Marty Mornhinweg decided to trust Smith s legs instead of Smith s arm or Chris Ivory s rampaging legs, and they lost a yard, and a big opportunity. We felt good about our play, Ryan said. Third-and-2 at the Bears 24, 10 minutes left, Smith faked a handoff to Bilal Powell, looked for tight end Jeff Cumberland with Jared Allen bearing down on him, and was lucky Vereen didn t intercept. Ryan says Smith is not the same quarterback he was a year ago. And he s right. But the job is to win games. Being the quarterback of this team, I ve gotta do a better job to give us a chance to win games, Smith said. How Ed Reed is still helping the Jets (Brian Costello) New York Post Ed Reed spent the final six weeks of the 2013 season with the Jets. The veteran safety s impact on the field was minimal, but the Jets say they are a better team this year for having Reed around. I think he rubbed off on a lot of people in that [locker] room and not just defensive backs, said defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, who also coached Reed in Baltimore. It was linebackers. It was D linemen. It was about, Hey, Ed Reed says something. He s won. He knows. He s going to the Hall of Fame in five years. It was what we were looking for. You can see the carryover now from that impact. Thurman said the Jets brought in Reed to educate the younger players on taking ownership over the defense. 18 P a g e