Could the New York Jets’ Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears possibly feel any worse? It does now, thanks to a harsh postgame verdict from Bears linebacker Devin Bush.

Bush spoke to reporters in the locker room after the Chicago victory and summed up his afternoon against the Jets’ offense: “It was one of the easiest NFL games I’ve ever played in. I’m not sore at all.”

Reporters then asked Bush what the sideline was like for him and the Bears defense during the game.

“It was boring. I got bored a couple times,” Bush said.

That is about as bad of an indictment on a football team as you can get from an opposing player.

Devin Bush isn’t being disrespectful, he’s being honest

Opposing players are usually respectful toward the teams, players, and coaching staff they line up against. Most guys stick to the script after a win and say nothing that could end up on a bulletin board. Bush went the other way. 

In my opinion, he isn’t even being disrespectful in this instance. He’s just telling the truth.

Look at the numbers. The Bears held the football for 42 minutes and 45 seconds on Sunday while the Jets’ time of possession stood at 17 minutes and 15 seconds. That isn’t a close game in any sense of the word, regardless of what the scoreboard said along the way.

New York had one real highlight on offense. Geno Smith hit Isaiah Williams on a 58-yard deep ball for the Jets’ lone touchdown of the day. Besides that, the Jets couldn’t do anything of consequence on that side of the football. Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq were even no shows.

So when Bush calls it one of the easiest games of his career, he has the evidence to back it up. Chicago’s defense barely had to break a sweat, and the stat sheet proves it.

Where did the Jets’ identity go?

That’s what makes this one so frustrating. Jets coach Aaron Glenn wants this team to take on a tough, physical identity. He wants it to look like the team he played for back in the day when he wore green and white.

And for the first three weeks, the Jets looked like that. They were the aggressors. They punished other teams, even if it only resulted in a 1-2 record. You could at least see what Glenn was building, and there were real reasons for optimism.

Against Chicago, all of that went out the door.

Make no mistake, this was a winnable game for New York. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t even see the field. If there was ever a week for the Jets to go out and impose their will on an opponent, this Bears game was it.

Instead, it was the Jets who got pushed around.

Aaron Glenn has to take a long look in the mirror

Now the Jets sit at 1-3. That record doesn’t look so promising or optimistic anymore, despite any of the positive moments the team has put together so far.

And look, I’m not saying the season is over in early October. It isn’t. But a team that’s supposed to be built on toughness can’t let an opposing defender walk into the locker room and call the game boring. That stings more than the loss itself.

The Jets, and mainly Glenn, need to take a long look in the mirror. They have to figure out how to make sure this never happens again. No opposing defensive player should be able to say something like that after a game, and the time of possession gap should never look that jarring.

I’ll tell you this much: how New York responds next week will tell us a lot about whether Glenn’s identity is real. If the Jets come out swinging and play like they did in the first three weeks, Sunday in Chicago will be a blip. If not, Bush won’t be the last opponent who leaves a Jets game feeling fresh.