Jets Fall to 1-3 With 23-12 Loss to Bears, Held Without a Third-Down Conversion

New York managed 157 yards and no third-down conversions in a 23-12 Week 4 defeat at Soldier Field, its third straight loss ahead of a Week 5 home date with Cleveland.

The New York Jets dropped their third consecutive game on Sunday, losing 23-12 to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season. The defeat left quarterback Geno Smith and the Jets at 1-3, a sharp reversal for a team that opened the year with a road victory.

New York began the season by beating the Tennessee Titans 23-10 away from home. The slide started in Week 2, when the Green Bay Packers edged the Jets 20-17 in overtime on their own field, and continued in Week 3 with a 31-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on the road.

The Jets had kept both of those earlier games close. Sunday's contest was different, with the New York offense unable to stay on the field and its drives ending almost as quickly as they began.

The final statistics captured how one-sided the afternoon became. New York produced only 157 total yards while surrendering 492 to a Chicago attack directed by quarterback Tyson Bagent, and the Bears ran 89 plays to only 32 for the Jets.

The possession numbers were similarly lopsided. The Jets failed on all seven of their third-down attempts and recorded seven first downs to Chicago's 34, marking the first time since 1997 that the Bears had held an opponent without a third-down conversion.

Smith, who starred at West Virginia in college, addressed the offensive performance once the game ended. "We've got to execute and do whatever we can to keep our defense off the field," Smith said, via the Associated Press. "That's a part of playing complementary football. I think we can do a lot better job in that area."

Chicago won while dealing with notable limitations on offense. Caleb Williams was unavailable, and Bagent did not account for a touchdown by pass or by run, yet the Bears still controlled the game on offense and defense alike on their home turf.

Head coach Aaron Glenn pointed to the same shortcoming in his postgame remarks. "We have to do a better job of complementing each other and that did not show up today at all," Glenn said. "When you have the discrepancy of 89 plays and 32 plays, it's something we have to look at and something we have to continue to work on. That's the only thing we can do is continue to work."

The Jets turn their attention to Week 5 and a home game against the Cleveland Browns, who arrive on a hot start to their season. New York will be trying to end a three-game losing streak at its own stadium. Kickoff time and broadcast details for the Week 5 matchup were not included in the report.