NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears and New York Jets have played each other 12 times, with the Bears taking nine of those games and each of the last five meetings. The last time the Jets beat the Bears was November 26, 2000, in the Meadowlands.
Vinny Testaverde was the Jets’ quarterback back then, so that’s really stepping into the Wayback machine. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that Bears starter Shane Matthews completed 13-of-32 passes for 98 yards in that game, and the Jets lead back was — in the voice of Chris Berman — Curtis “My Favorite Martian” Martin!
But that’s not the game we’re going to focus on today. Today we’re going back to December 26, 2010, a post-Christmas shootout between Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez (lol) featuring the likes of Matt Forte, LaDanian Tomlinson, and the “oh what could have been” king of Bears-dom this side of the millennium, Johnny Knox.
Both the Jets came into this one 10-4, with Chicago looking to clinch a bye to open the NFC playoffs in a couple of weeks, so they needed to take this one from the Jets at Soldier Field. Everything looked good early, with the Bears taking a 10-0 lead into the second quarter on the strength of a Robbie Gould field goal and a Matt Forte rushing touchdown.
But it was all Jets in the second quarter. Shonn Green and LaDanian Tomlinson scored rushing touchdowns with a Dwight Lowery pick-six sandwiched between, giving the Jets a 21-10 lead about six minutes into the quarter. Cutler would run one in to make it 21-17, but a Nick Folk field goal made it 24-17 Jets at the half.
Cutler made up for it in the third quarter, throwing three touchdowns. Cutler hit Knox for a 40-yard touchdown, Devin Hester for a 25-yard touchdown, and then connected with Johnny Knox once more from 26-yards to give the Bears a 38-31 lead late in the third quarter.
Cutler threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown as the Bears topped the Jets 38-34 and locked up a bye in the playoffs on this date.
You can check out the full game here on YouTube:
