Monday Night Football Week 3: Bears at Jets prediction

Jay Cutler threw four touchdown passes as the Chicago Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers a week ago. Cutler already has six touchdown passes and looks to add to that total when the Bears visit the New York Jets on Monday night. Cutler is 6-1 on Monday Night Football, including three straight wins, with 14 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

While the Bears rallied, the Jets imploded last week, squandering an 18-point advantage in their upset bid at Green Bay - a loss that came in typical New York fashion. Just when it appeared that the Jets had climbed back into a tie with the Packers on a long touchdown pass by Geno Smith late in the fourth quarter, officials ruled that New York offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called timeout before the play began. Rex Ryan’s group will look to bounce back from that disaster and beat the Bears for the first time since 2000.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Jets -3. O/U: 45.5

ABOUT THE BEARS (1-1): Chicago’s comeback on Sunday night was even more unlikely considering that Cutler actually seemed to respond after taking a huge blow to his ribs. He threw three scoring passes to Brandon Marshall and the Bears’ defense shut down the 49ers in the second half. But, not all went well for Chicago, which lost five starters on the defensive side of the ball in the contest, including All-Pro cornerback Charles Tillman, who is out for the season with a torn triceps muscle.

ABOUT THE JETS (1-1): The Jets could be without top receiver Eric Decker (hamstring) but they may want to run the ball anyway against a Chicago defense which ranks 27th in the league against the rush (160 yards per game). On defense, New York has yet to solve its problematic secondary and allowed Jordy Nelson to romp for 209 yards receiving last week. New York won its home opener but that victory is looking increasingly unimpressive as it came against Oakland, which appears to be one of the worst teams in the league.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Jets rank first in the NFL in both rushing (179 yards a game) and stopping the run (52.5).

2. The Bears have won three straight in the series but the teams haven’t met since 2010.

3. Jets CB Dee Milliner is questionable with an ankle injury.

PREDICTION: Jets 23, Bears 17