Jay Cutler completed two touchdown passes to Martellus Bennett and the injury-riddled Chicago Bears held off the New York Jets, 27-19, on Monday night.
Cutler completed 23-of-38 passes for 225 yards and the two scores for Chicago, which emptied its defensive backfield for the second straight week due to injuries.
Alshon Jeffery, playing through a hamstring injury, made eight catches for 105 yards while Bennett became the third player in the NFL this season with at least one receiving touchdown in all three games. He trails just Denver tight end Julius Thomas for the league lead in receiving scores.
Chicago (2-1) failed to establish a running game for the second straight week, but found a way to win yet again. Two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte carried 13 times for 33 yards, and Chicago picked up just 60 yards on the ground as a unit one week after gaining only 46 in a win over San Francisco.
Chicago's battered defense picked off Geno Smith twice, sacked him three times and allowed just one touchdown in six trips to the red zone. Smith had an opportunity to tie the game with a late scoring drive, but the Bears D held up one last time, forcing a turnover on downs from the 9-yard line with less than a minute left.
Smith threw for 316 yards and a touchdown to Jeremy Kerley, who paced the receiving core with seven grabs for 81 yards.
The Jets (1-2) have lost two straight games.
[SportsNetwork.com]