Three weeks into the 2026 season, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has done everything fans could have asked for, and then some.

In fact, he is now the first Jets quarterback ever to complete 75% of his passes, average 7.0+ yards per attempt, and post a 100.0+ passer rating over a three-game span (min. 100 attempts).

As the Jets gear up for their Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears, a win is crucial after two close losses in Weeks 2 and 3.

Against Chicago, one of the Jets’ top advantages seems to be Smith, based on both his strong play and a Bears defensive tendency.

Smith’s success vs. single-high coverage

This season, Smith has been one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks against single-high coverage, which feature one deep safety and an extra defender near the line of scrimmage while cornerbacks focus on containing the deep sidelines.

While Smith has faced single-high coverages on just 45.0% of his dropbacks this season, the ninth-lowest rate in the league, he has been outstanding in those situations. Here is a look at some of his metrics against the coverage and where they rank among QBs this year:

  • 88.9% completion rate (1st)
  • 10.3 yards per attempt (2nd)
  • 20.4% explosive play rate (7th)

Smith will likely get a fair share of opportunities against single-high looks. According to NFL Pro, the Bears’ defense has played single-high coverages on 60.2% of opposing dropbacks, the eighth-highest rate in the NFL. Despite relying in it so heavily, they have allowed quite a few big plays, allowing a 20.3% explosive pass rate (11th-highest) in those looks.

What makes this matchup interesting is that Smith has consistently stretched defenses. He leads qualified quarterbacks in completion rate on deep passes this season (20+ yards) at 70.0%, as well as passer rating (152.1).

Against single-high coverage, Smith could attack downfield more often, since there is only one high safety.

Based on what Smith has shown, accuracy-wise, especially downfield, he matches up very well against the Bears’ defense. For the Jets to leave Chicago with a win, the quarterback will need to keep his hot stretch alive. Although the Bears are expected to have a backup quarterback in action, their offense is still highly explosive.

With that in mind, Smith will need to take advantage of everything the Bears’ defense gives him, including an abundance of single-high looks.