Jets could catch massive Week 4 break after Caleb Williams' injury

Week 2 wasn't exactly pretty for the New York Jets. While they fought to overtime against a favorite, covered their point spread, and gave us positive silver linings, we all left the game with a sour taste in our mouths – and rightfully so. The Jets should have won, but they didn't.

That said, not every result on Sunday was a negative one for the Jets. After heading to Detroit to take on the Lions on Sunday, they head north to visit Chicago and the high-powered Bears' offense the following Sunday in Week four.

What makes Chicago so potent offensively, aside from mastermind head coach Ben Johnson and a handful of dangerous skill-position weapons, is their young stud quarterback Caleb Williams.

While the Bears offense struggled in the sloppy conditions this past Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, that same offense dropped 59 points in the Carolina Panthers' face in Week 1, led by Williams' two rushing and two passing touchdowns. And though no one roots for injuries, seeing the third-year gunslinger limp off the field in the fourth quarter might play heavily in the Jets' hands in a couple of weeks.

The New York Jets may have caught a lucky break amidst a daunting road trip

There was 7:40 remaining in regulation when Williams faked a handoff before rolling to his left on a first-and-goal play-action snap. He assessed what looked to be a lack of open targets while considering whether to keep it, before seemingly tripping over himself at the 10-yard line. He fell to the ground.

It became clear quickly that he didn't simply trip. He took a wrong step, and something went wrong internally inside his right leg. And despite an outstretched defender diving and clipping at his heels while Williams went down, upon replay, he never actually touched the young quarterback. This was a classic "non-contact" injury, and those are by far the scariest.

Everyone and their mothers, and I too, were predicting it was some form of Achilles injury. It had all the makings.

Guy stops short as though his leg was kicked out from under him? Check. Guy goes down immediately, like he lost all control of his lower leg? Check. Guy emerges in tears while being carted off the field? Check.

But ultimately, an Adam Schefter tweet eased some degree of concern for the Chicago faithful. Evidently, it appears to be a hamstring injury. And while those can involve lengthy recovery, they are nowhere near as punitive as an Achilles rupture (something Jets fans know all too well).

This was very positive news for Chicago. And while this reopened the door to a 2026 return for Williams, it doesn't seem likely he'll be healthy in time to take on New York in Week 4. This is good timing for the Jets, who are about to begin a road trip against two playoff contenders from the NFC North after hosting a 2025 playoff team this past Sunday.

The pass defense has performed admirably so far, having held Tennessee to 140 passing yards in week one and Green Bay to 145 this past Sunday. But the pass rush left something to be desired against the Packers, and Williams is the type of mobile quarterback who can take advantage of any time he's allotted behind center.

If Williams is to miss Week 4, and no other injuries change the circumstances, it will be Tyson Bagent at quarterback for Chicago. Bagent has only started four times in just over two seasons and has 14 games in the league.

He holds a career completion percentage of 66.4% and 917 yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. He went four for nine for 54 yards in Williams' place to finish the game Sunday.

While we await the results of Williams' imaging this week and ultimately wish him a healthy recovery, the implications will ring loudly in New York. And while Bagent is mostly an unknown product, it's safe to say Jets fans would be happier to see him under center than Williams on October 4.

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