Running back Breece Hall rushed for two touchdowns and then threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Mason Taylor with less than two minutes left, and the New York Jets came back to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38 on the road on Sunday for their first victory of the season.
The Jets entered the game as the NFL’s lone winless team at 0-7, and for a time, it looked like they were headed for an eighth-straight loss under first-year coach Aaron Glenn. The Bengals led 31-16 late in the third quarter and seemed to be in control.
The Jets, however, did not quit. When Hall rushed for a 27-yard touchdown with 8:01 left, it brought New York within 38-30, and Glenn elected to go for a two-point conversion. Justin Fields’ pass to Isaiah Davis was initially ruled incomplete, but the call was overturned after a replay review, and officials ruled that the ball broke the plane, making the score 38-32. The Jets then held the Bengals, setting up their winning drive.
The Jets’ offense had been anemic in recent weeks — they had failed to score a touchdown in the previous two games — and Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor at halftime of last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. Taylor was out with a knee injury, however, and did not make the trip to Cincinnati. That gave Fields the starting job almost by default. Sunday’s result was much different: 502 yards of total offense, including 244 yards passing from Fields.
Joe Flacco threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns for Cincinnati, which fell to 3-5.
Offense steps up for the Jets
The Jets offense — even the passing offense — finally stepped up in such a way that it was able to overcome a terrible defensive performance. The Jets passed the 500-yard mark late in the fourth quarter as they scored a go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining — completing a comeback in a game that the Jets trailed at various points 17-3, 31-16 and 38-24, the last one in the fourth quarter.
The touchdown itself was highly unexpected: a Hall touchdown pass to tight end Taylor. — Zack Rosenblatt, Jets beat writer
A comeback performance by Fields
The Jets had a dominant rushing attack led by Hall (18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns) and Davis (seven carries and 65 yards), but the biggest takeaway was how Fields responded. The quarterback was benched at halftime last week and criticized publicly by owner Woody Johnson this week, and Fields responded with his best performance since Week 1.
Fields finished 21 of 32 for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions — a steady, calm performance that the Jets needed as their defense crumbled. — Rosenblatt
Defense struggles but does just enough for New York
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks should be thankful that the Jets saved him this week because his unit was dreadful. The Jets struggled to tackle the Bengals’ running backs all afternoon, and Cincinnati backup Samaje Perine managed 94 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. Tee Higgins was left one on one with rookie Azareye’h Thomas for an easy 44-yard touchdown in the second quarter. And the defensive line got little to no pressure on Flacco — who ran for a touchdown too — outside of a crucial Will McDonald sack in the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, though, the defense did just enough to win, keeping the Bengals out of field goal range on the final drive of the game to clinch Glenn’s first win. — Rosenblatt
A demoralizing defeat for Bengals
The Bengals will have to come to terms with an all-time demoralizing defeat in a season that felt like it was back on track. Flacco had the city feeling momentum after the win against Pittsburgh, and focused on getting back into the AFC North and the playoff chase. Instead, even a great offense that put up 38 points against a quality Jets team wasn’t enough to prevent Fields and company from overcoming double-digit deficits, running up 500-plus yards of offense and putting the season back in the tank for Cincinnati.
The three losses that followed the move to Jake Browning killed any margin for error, and allowing the Jets to pull off their first win of the season when you had them down and out is inexcusable. This one will leave a mark all season, even if Cincinnati can gain back its momentum. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals beat writer
Cincinnati’s offense was not to blame
Now we see the evolution of the Flacco offense. After two games with nine days in the facility, where he showed an incredible ability to learn and execute the Bengals’ offense with hardly any practice, the extra time to become comfortable was notable. Yes, peppering Ja’Marr Chase with targets was still the engine that powered the machine. Chase enjoyed another day with double-digit receptions.
The run game bubbled up with Chase Brown and Perine both ripping off big days on the ground. When the Jets worried about Chase and the run game, the Bengals moved to play action and hit Higgins on a deep ball. There will be talk of failing to score on the final two drives of the game, but this loss wasn’t on Flacco and the Bengals’ attack, which continues to roll. — Dehner
Hendrickson exits with hip injury
Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson left Sunday’s game with a right hip injury. Hendrickson missed the second half in Green Bay two weeks ago with this injury, was inactive last week against Pittsburgh and couldn’t make it to halftime Sunday. The Bengals’ pass rush already lacks with Hendrickson on the field. Without him, they continue to offer next to nothing.
Even a Jets offensive line that entered last in the league in pass protection this year wasn’t a cure for what ailed them. And somehow, the lack of pass rush wasn’t the worst part of the day for the defensive line. The Jets were able to run for 200-plus yards with the Bengals getting moved, missing tackles, taking bad angles and every other way a team can get beaten trying to defend the run.
At some point, this young defense has to find some level of serviceability, but if you aren’t doing it by Halloween against the worst offense in football, it’s fair to bet it won’t be happening at all this year. — Dehner
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