Sunday’s game might end up being a battle between two backup quarterbacks.

Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters Monday evening that he was “keeping everything on the table” when it comes to deciding whether or not to replace Zach Wilson for Sunday’s game against the Bears.

Saleh wouldn’t say who could take the second-year quarterback’s place. Mike White, who made three starts last year, is the Jets’ second-stringer. Third-stringer Joe Flacco, though, started the first three games of their season.

“We’ve all got to be able to sit back and look at what’s best for this organization and this team,” he said.

Wilson is coming off a disastrous showing in a 10-3 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. He went 9-for-22 for 77 yards, four sacks and a 50.8 passer rating. His postgame performance was almost as bad; he seemed to shirk responsibility by saying that he didn’t feel like he let down a Jets defense that allowed only three points.

“I don’t think it’s indicative of how he feels about his team or teammates,” Saleh said. “I don’t think he’s na?ve to the fact that the offense didn’t play to the best of their ability.”

The Jets totaled seven yards in the second half and averaged 2.1 yards per play on the game. They lost on a last-second punt return touchdown.

Wilson was the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft in which Justin Fields was drafted 11th.

Another late hit

The Bears plan to submit film of Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett making contact with Fields after he slid on second-and-9 with 1:42 to play Sunday. There was no flag for a late hit.

“I think we’ve got to look at it,” Eberflus said. “I think that we’ve got to protect these quarterbacks — and that’s including our quarterback. We have to do a better job in the league, the total league has to do a good job of that. Again, these guys are special. All these quarterbacks are special. We’ve got to do a great job of protecting them when they are on the sideline and when they are in the open field.”

The Bears have been submitting one or two hits on Fields for league review every week, Eberflus said. But they were particularly perturbed with the non-call Sunday.

“We’re not supposed to say anything about it, you know?” defensive lineman Justin Jones said. “But it’s tough, bro. It’s tough.”

This and that

o Eberflus clarified that the Bears were forced to take a timeout after Fields was tackled out of bounds with 1:47 to play because officials stopped play due to the quarterback’s injury. Had they not taken a timeout, backup Trevor Siemian would have been forced to play one snap.

o Receiver Chase Claypool played 42 percent of the Bears’ snaps on Sunday, which ranked him third among receivers behind Darnell Mooney (81 percent) and Equanimeous St. Brown (72 percent). He had two catches on three targets for 11 yards.

o Trestan Ebner played 22 percent of the snaps in relief of the injured Khalil Herbert, while fellow running back Darrynton Evans played 3 percent of them

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Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been improving in the finer points of the passing game and showed substantial improvement on his throws for most of the Falcons game before, of course, losing it on an interception.

But the overall uptick is important in the big picture — and right now as he deals with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury. While that affects his passing motion, it’s much more of an encumbrance to his running ability. Assuming Fields keeps playing through the pain, he’s going to be better off throwing.

Incidentally, that’s something he needs to prove he can do anyway. It’s incredibly difficult to pass in obvious passing situations, like late in games, but that’s part of the job. It’s one of the boxes Fields still hasn’t checked.

But he’s getting better, as film review of the 27-24 loss to the Falcons showed:

Mooney is money

One of the strangest parts of Fields’ early-season passing struggles was that Darnell Mooney, the only proven wide receiver on the roster, wasn’t much of a factor. But that has changed. Mooney is back where he should’ve been all along: Standing as the Bears’ top option downfield.

He had just four catches for 27 yards over the first three games, but has averaged 4.5 catches and 58.3 yards over the last eight games. He caught his first two touchdown passes in the last three games, and both were on perfect throws by Fields.

On the 16-yarder touchdown in the first quarter of the Falcons game, Equanimeous St. Brown lined up wide left and Mooney was inside, then they crossed and Falcons cornerback Dee Alford crashed into St. Brown. That sprung Mooney open by a few steps, and Fields fired a flawless pass ahead of him that he could catch without slowing down, just as he did against the Lions.

“He’s getting better and better, and he’s trusting me,” Mooney told the Sun-Times. “He throws it up there and allows me to run up under it. He was trying to hit landmarks before, but I was like, ‘Bro, don’t think about it. Let’s just do our thing. Just throw it.’ We have that type of connection now.”

That’s very encouraging for the Bears. Mooney was a 1,000-yard receiver last season and, at 25, figures to be a fixture on the team.

And the deep shot they missed on later in the first quarter was still a step in the right direction. Fields needs to take those chances, and coach Matt Eberflus loved the throw even though it sailed a few feet too far.

Overthrowing on that play is better than underthrowing, and Mooney usually has the speed to get there.

“I definitely blame that one on me,” Mooney said. “I couldn’t hit my boost … That’s a good ball. It’s on me.”

Kmet rolling

It was hard to envision the passing game clicking without Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet leading it. Kmet is finally cooking. He has 12 catches for 150 yards and four touchdowns over the last three games. He’s not Travis Kelce, but that’ll work.

He made the best catch of his career in the second quarter when Fields hit him for 24 yards in the second quarter. It was a tough one-handed grab as cornerback A.J. Terrell drilled him in the ribs as the ball arrived, and that acrobatic maneuver overshadowed the fact that it was an excellent pass by Fields to lead Kmet downfield.

“Justin actually threw a really good ball, getting it over the [defenders up front],” Kmet said. “It’s in that little area where the safety can’t get to it and a corner can’t fall off and get to it.”

Montgomery’s big play

Speaking of the best play of someone’s career, has Fields ever made a more impressive throw than his 32-yarder up the sideline to running back David Montgomery early in the fourth quarter?

Fields scrambled right and motioned for Montgomery to break off his route and cut upfield, then threw across his body while rolling right to drop the ball right in front of Montgomery, who made the catch without breaking stride.

“Justin being Justin, making something happen,” Montgomery said.

It was the longest play of the game by either team and the Bears’ seventh-longest pass of the season.

Super scramble

Fields made another important pass on third-and-12 a few plays later, this time hitting St. Brown for 14 yards to extend a drive that ended with Montgomery’s touchdown run and tied the game 24-24.

He looked right to St. Brown as soon as he dropped back, but cornerback Darren Hall had him well covered. He rolled left, then ran back to the right and hit an open St. Brown on the sideline. He broke three tackles during that frenzy, gave himself an absurd 10 seconds to throw and, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, scrambled 33.2 yards — the longest by any quarterback for a third-down conversion this season.

On 126 third-down plays this season, Fields has picked up 30 first downs or touchdowns by passing and 33 by running for a 52.4% conversion rate.

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On many days after practice, after taking off his gear and fulfilling any interview requests, Blackhawks defenseman Filip Roos leaves his stall and meanders over to the goaltenders’ side of the locker room.

There, Roos and Hawks goalie Arvid Soderblom smile and talk — mostly in Swedish — about whatever comes to mind.

“It’s always nice having a Swede you know here,” Roos said.

Soderblom is more than just a fellow countryman to Roos, however. The two of them were born eight months apart and grew up just 20 minutes away from each other in Gothenburg, the second-largest city in Sweden and the largest on its southwest coast (across the sea from Denmark).

They played against each other regularly growing up in Gothenburg’s youth hockey leagues, then became teammates for the first time as late teenagers in the junior academy of Frolunda, Gothenburg’s pro team.

In 2017-18 on Frolunda’s under-20 team, Roos tallied 12 points in 43 games while Soderblom went 15-14-0 with a .905 save percentage in 29 games.

Then in 2018-18, Roos and Soderblom both made their big-league Frolunda debuts — but played only one game each — and spent most of their time on loan to Hanhals, a third-division semi-pro team located about 20 miles south of Gothenburg. Roos recorded 11 points in 24 games while Soderblom went 18-19-0 with a .908 save percentage in 37 games.

Their paths diverged after that, but they coincidentally both ended up experiencing career breakthroughs after landing in Skelleftea — a top-flight team in northeast Sweden. Those breakthroughs earned them NHL attention and, ultimately, contracts with the Hawks. The only difference was Soderblom did so in 2020-21 while Roos did so in 2021-22.

When Roos was weighing the Hawks’ offer last spring, he and Soderblom reconnected. Soderblom later helped Roos, while training together during the latter half of the summer, prepare to move to Chicago. They’re now close friends again.

“It’s pretty cool we’re here now together, four years later,” Soderblom said. “It has been a fun journey for both of us, ending up here in the same place.”

Soderblom was the lone Swede last season in Rockford, a city not exactly known for its diversity. Swedish defenseman Erik Gustafsson was a fixture on the Hawks’ NHL roster at the time, but their paths crossed only briefly. At times, it was lonely.

The 2022-23 Hawks also have one of the NHL’s smallest European contingents, one comprised of only four players: Roos, Soderblom, Swiss forward Philipp Kurashev and Czech goalie Petr Mrazek. So coach Luke Richardson, despite being Canadian, appreciates the value Roos and Soderblom’s presences provide each other.

“We have a close team with a lot of new guys, and they’ve really gelled together,” Richardson said. “It’s always nice to have someone from where you’re from, no matter if you’re from Europe, Canada, the U.S. or wherever. It’s nice to have someone from your corner that you can talk a little bit of ‘home shop’ with.”

Roos has rotated in and out of the Hawks’ third defensive pairing so far, tallying three points in 10 games. Soderblom’s red-hot start to the season has cooled lately; he now sits at 2-4-1 with a .909 save percentage.

They’re there for each other through the good and bad nights alike, though, and hang out frequently away from the rink. Soderblom has served as Roos’ Chicago tour guide and restaurant recommendation-giver; he even helped Roos set up his U.S. phone number.

And when they’re especially missing home, they’ve learned to love visits to IKEA — in order to buy both furniture and meatballs.

“We’re pretty similar, laid-back, chill guys,” Soderblom said. “He likes to have fun and take it easy. He’s a great guy to have around, and it’s fun to have him here now.”

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Ashley Kj?s took the day off work on Monday.

Rather than suiting up for the office, Ashley suited up for the pub; instead of a coffee, he held a beer; and instead of a computer screen, his eyes were on a flatscreen TV in a Near West Side pub.

He was among dozens packed inside The Embassy Public House, 1435 W. Taylor St. in Little Italy Monday afternoon to watch the U.S. play Wales in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“I’m here to root for the US team,” said Kj?s, who was wearing a blue team jersey. His wife raised her eyebrows. A friend shook his head.

“But I follow a bunch of the Welsh players,” he added, explaining several players from his favorite professional team, Swansea City, were on Wales.

It was the opening match for both teams.

The half-avowed Welsh supporter was alone a bar among packed with fans wearing red, white and blue.

Almost all of fans gathered Monday admitted to some reservations to watching the beautiful game’s signature tournament this year, which has been mired in controversy over the treatment of migrant workers and the country’s stance on LGBTQ rights.

“I don’t feel great about it,” said Ryan Fischer, 25, a University of Illinois physical therapy student who went to watch the game with her fiance and a classmate.

“You’re stuck in a situation where you want to watch, but it’s hard to fully support with what’s going on.”

A few teams planned to wear armbands to support LGBT rights, but decided against it after FIFA threatened to punish players, according to the Associated Press.

“I get that you might not be able to share political messages but inclusiveness, wearing a rainbow-colored armband feels like less of a political statement,” said Reid Kiger, 24, Fischer’s fiance.

Any reservations faded, at least for a little while, after Timothy Weah put the U.S. ahead in the first half, bringing the room full of cheering fans to their feet.

“When they scored that goal, I got goosebumps,” said Michael Potsic, 35, who lives in Pilsen, adding that he hadn’t been following the team closely.

“There’s just something about watching the game in a crowded sports bar that’s great,” he said.

The confidence in the room turned to anxiety when Wales tied the score on a penalty kick with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

“There’s no way that was a penalty,” a few yelled.

Kj?s, and his dual sympathies, drew hard stares from his friends.

“I should never have come here,” he said.

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.

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Please send scores and corrections to [email protected].

Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

NON CONFERENCE

Carver at Austin, 6:30

Cissna Park at Clifton Central, 8:00

EPIC at Vocational, 5:00

Hansberry at Hope Academy, 6:30

HRK at Ida Crown, 7:45

Hyde Park vs. Lincoln Park, at DePaul University, 5:

Illinois Lutheran at Trinity (Kankakee), 7:00

IMSA at Alden-Hebron, 7:00

Islamic Foundation at Dunbar, 5:30

Kenwood vs. Young, at DePaul University, 8:00

Phoenix at Chicago Academy, 5:00

Rock County Christian at Schaumburg Christian, 7:

UIC Prep at Perspectives-MSA, at IIT, 5:00

Unity Christian at Grace Christian, 7:00

ASHTON-FRANKLIN CENTER

West Carroll vs. LaMoille, 6:00

Polo vs. Amboy, 6:00

Hiawatha vs. Durand, 7:30

Leland vs. Ashton-Franklin Center, 7:30

BATAVIA

Longwood vs. Marmion, 6:00

Raby vs. Batavia, 7:30

BLOOM / MARIAN CATHOLIC

at Bloom

Hillcrest vs. Thornton Fr. South, 4:30

Lincoln-Way Central vs. Bloom, 7:00

at Marian Catholic

Rich vs. Homewood-Flossmoor, 5:00

Marian Catholic vs. St. Francis de Sales, 6:30

COLLINS

Little Village vs. North Grand, 11:00

Manley vs. Collins, 1:00

Farragut vs. Curie, 5:00

Proviso West vs. North Lawndale, 7:00

COAL CITY / MANTENO

at Coal City

Gardner-So. Wilmington vs. Morris, 5:30

Agricultural Science vs. Coal City, 7:00

at Manteno

IC Catholic vs. Peotone,5:30

Beecher vs. Manteno, 7:00

CRYSTAL LAKE CENTRAL

Barrington vs. Belvidere North, 5:30

Grayslake Central vs. Hampshire, 5:30

Hononegah vs. Crystal Lake Central, 7:00

DE LA SALLE / KING

at De La Salle

Chicago Military at De La Salle, 5:00

Latin vs. Urban Prep-Bronzeville, 6:30

at King

Morgan Park vs. Orr, 5:00

Corliss vs. King, 6:30

DE PAUL / LANE

at DePaul

Francis Parker vs. Notre Dame, 4:30

Englewood STEM vs. DePaul, 6:00

at Lane

Legal Prep vs. Niles North, 5:00

Jones vs. Lane, 7:00

DWIGHT / WOODLAND

at Dwight

Grant Park vs. Momence, 5:30

Earlville vs. Dwight, 7:00

at Woodland

Flanagan-Cornell vs. Ridgeview, 6:00

St. Bede vs. Woodland, 7:30

ELLISON

Catalyst-Maria vs. Hubbard, 2:15

Crane vs. Hubbard, 3:30

Crane vs. Ellison, 4:45

Chicago Tech vs. Little Village, 6:00

ELMWOOD PARK

Addison Trail vs. Aurora Central, 5:30

Walther Christian vs. Elmwood Park, 7:00

FENTON

Timothy Christian vs. Rolling Meadows, 6:00

Fenton vs. Clemente, 7:30

GALESBURG

Dunlap at DeKalb, 7:00

Canton at Galesburg, 7:00

GIBSON CITY-MELVIN-SIBLEY

Iroquois West vs. Hoopeston, 5:00

Fisher vs. Armstrong-Potomac, 6:30

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley vs. Tri-Point, 8:00

GLENBARD WEST

Glenbard East vs. Glenbard North, 6:00

Glenbard South vs. Glenbard West, 7:30

GLENBROOK NORTH / ST. PATRICK

at Glenbrook North

Glenbrook North vs. Prosser, 5:15

Conant vs. Wheaton North, 7:00

at St. Patrick

Niles West vs. Lake Forest Academy, 6:00

St. Patrick vs. Payton, 7:30

GOODE

Horizon-McKinley vs. Air Force, 4:45

Morgan Park Academy vs. Chicago Collegiate, 6:15

ASPIRA-Bus&Fin vs. Goode, 7:45

GRANT / MUNDELEIN

at Grant

Warren vs. Grant, 5:30

Schurz vs. Comer, 7:00

at Mundelein

Carmel vs. Deerfield, 5:30

Lakes vs. Mundelein, 7:00

JOHNSBURG

Wauconda vs. Geneva, 5:30

Grayslake North vs. Huntley, 5:30

Crystal Lake South vs. Marian Central, 7:00

Streamwood vs. Johnsburg, 7:00

LOYOLA / NEW TRIER

at Loyola

Loyola vs. Butler, 5:00

St. Ignatius vs. Bulls Prep, 6:30

at New Trier

New Trier vs. Rauner, 5:00

Taft vs. Lake Forest, 6:30

LYONS

Maine South vs. Lincoln-Way East, 6:00

Lyons vs. Fenger, 7:30

MAINE WEST

Hoffman Estates vs. Lake Zurich, 6:00

Elk Grove vs. Maine West, 7:30

NAPERVILLE NORTH / OSWEGO

at Naperville North

Downers Grove South vs. Oswego East, 5:30

Naperville North vs. Hinsdale Central, 7:00

at Oswego

Fenwick vs. Neuqua Valley, 5:30

West Aurora vs. Oswego, 7:00

NORTHRIDGE

Amundsen vs. Vernon Hills, 6:00

Wheeling vs. Bowen, 7:30

OAK LAWN / REAVIS

at Oak Lawn

St. Laurence vs . Lincoln-Way West, 5:00

Oak Lawn vs. Bremen, 6:30

at Reavis

Mount Carmel vs. Sandburg, 4:30

Reavis vs. Kennedy, 6:00

OREGON

Newman vs. North Boone, 5:45

Hinckley-Big Rock vs. Aquin, 5:45

Oregon vs. Milledgeville, 7:15

Christian Life vs. Rockford Christian, 7:15

OTTAWA

LaSalle-Peru vs. Oak Forest, 5:00

Ottawa vs. Marengo, 6:30

Princeton vs. Streator, 8:00

PALATINE

Round Lake vs. Glenbrook South, 6:00

Hersey vs. York, 7:30

RICHARDS / SHEPARD

at Richards

Southland vs. Richards, 5:00

Eisenhower vs. Chicago Christian, 6:30

at Shepard

Perspectives-Lead vs. Shepard, 5:00

Marist vs. Andrew, 6:30

RIDGEWOOD

Maine East vs. Naperville Central, 5:30

Schaumburg vs. Mather, 5:30

Ridgewood vs. Highland Park, 7:00

Northside vs. Leyden, 7:00

RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD

Brother Rice vs. Morton, 5:30

Zion-Benton vs. Thornwood, 7:00

ROCKFORD

at Auburn

Larkin vs. Harlem, 6:00

Auburn vs. Douglass (TN), 7:30

ROWVA-WILLIAMSFIELD

Henry-Senachwine vs. West Central, 6:30

ST. CHARLES EAST

St. Charles East vs. East Aurora, 5:45

Proviso East vs. Westinghouse, 7:15

ST. VIATOR

Prospect vs. Libertyville, 5:30

Antioch vs. St. Viator, 7:00

SENECA

Newark vs. Serena, 5:30

Herscher vs. St. Anne, 7:00

STAGG

Argo vs. Nazareth, 4:30

Stagg vs. Lindblom, 6:00

UPLIFT

Uplift vs. Holy Trinity, 5:00

South Shore vs. Roosevelt, 6:15

Alcott vs. Lycee Francais, 7:30

WELLS

Noble Street vs. Wolcott, 4:00

Wells vs. Golder, 5:30

Ogden vs. Intrinsic-Belmont, 7:00

WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN

Elgin Academy vs. Westminster Christian, 4:30

Aurora Christian vs. Indian Creek, 6:00

St. Edward vs. Horizon-Southwest, 7:30

WETHERSFIELD

Annawan vs. Bureau Valley, 5:00

Elmwood vs. Putnam County, 6:30

Stark County vs. Wethersfield, 8:00

WHEATON ACADEMY

Oak Park-River Forest vs. Plainfield North, 5:30

Bartlett vs. Wheaton Academy, 7:00

WJOL / ST. FRANCIS UNIVERSITY

Romeoville vs. Plainfield Central, 5:00

Bradley-Bourbonnais at Joliet Central, 6:30

Lemont vs. Minooka, 6:45

Lockport vs. Providence, 8:30

WOODSTOCK / WOODSTOCK NORTH

at Woodstock

Cary-Grove vs. Kaneland, 5:15

Prairie Ridge vs. Woodstock, 7:00

at Woodstock North

McHenry vs. Woodstock North, 7:00

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