CHICAGO -- The New York Jets snapped one of the most ignominious droughts in NFL history Sunday, intercepting a pass for the first time in 21 games. It was one of the few things they did right in a 23-12 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off Tyson Bagent in the second quarter, a fleeting moment of glory in an otherwise bleak day. The Jets had gone 643 pass attempts and 638 days without an interception.
Now there's new slump: A three-game losing streak for the Jets (1-3), who were dominated by the Bears in ways that few teams in NFL history have been dominated.
"Obviously, you wanted to be able to celebrate when you break a negative streak like that," Fitzpatrick said. "But when you finished the game like we finished, there's no real reason to celebrate."
The stat sheet didn't just lean one way; it collapsed on top of the Jets, who were outgained, 492-157. They ran only 32 plays, compared to the Bears' 89 -- the largest play differential in a game since the Cleveland Browns' first game returning to the NFL in 1999. The Bears had more first downs (34) than the Jets had plays.
The Jets' time of possession was only 17 minutes, 15 seconds, their lowest since 2005. Their possession time in the fourth quarter -- 45 seconds -- was less than it takes to microwave a hot dog.
The Jets struggled so much that star receiver Garrett Wilson managed only 27 receiving yards -- the same number of yards as Fitzpatrick made on his drought-busting interception return.
After getting pummeled by the Bears, coach Aaron Glenn lashed out against another opponent -- the team's losing history. Glenn, who dropped to 4-17, said he must prevent outside "negativity" from affecting the team.
"There are too many people who want to think about history," he said. "Inside that locker room, I want my guys not to think about history, because it's going to be brought up so much from the outside -- people beating us down with history.
"We just have to circle the wagons and not let any of that come inside our locker room. We've been working our asses off to change that. ... It brings so much negativity."
The negativity stems from 10 straight losing seasons and 15 consecutive years out of the playoffs, the longest active drought in the North American sports leagues. Just when they provide a little hope - see last week's competitive loss to the Detroit Lions - they drop a clunker like Sunday.
Glenn said he was "very disappointed on a number of levels" by the latest loss. The number of penalties (12 for 76 yards) seemed to irk him more than anything.
After being mocked for their interception drought, the Jets actually could've had four on the day - but three were nullified by penalties. Glenn didn't want to hear about Fitzpatrick's momentous pick.
"We got an interception -- great -- but we lost the game," he said. "That's what's so backwards about the thinking. Everybody going, 'We got the interception' and whatever. We lost the game, and that's what I'm thinking about. ... Everything else is really just white noise to me."
Quarterback Geno Smith, coming off one of the best games of his career, played his worst game of the season, completing only eight of 15 for 119 yards and a late touchdown. He was sacked three times. He was off target on some throws, acknowledging, "Not my best game. I could've done a lot better."
They failed to convert a single third down, going 0-for-7.
Playing without four injured starters, Smith couldn't get the ball to Wilson and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq (no catches). Choosing his words carefully, Wilson wouldn't criticize Smith or offensive coordinator Frank Reich. He tried to be upbeat, saying there's still time for a turnaround.
"And I feel good. I ain't take no hits," he said, delivering a not-so-subtle reference to his lack of involvement.
At least they don't have to hear about the interception drought anymore - small solace. A few days ago, former Jets coach Herm Edwards, who made 33 interceptions in his career as a cornerback, said a 20-game skid is "unbelievable to me. That's the craziest stat I ever heard."
Fitzpatrick took care of that, shortly after an apparent interception by 360-pound nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat was wiped out by a penalty.
"It's important for us to look ourselves in the mirror and be real and acknowledge if this isn't working, you have to stop doing it and or find a way to do it better," Fitzpatrick said of the team in general.