CINCINNATI — The Jets finally got off the schneid.
After losing his first seven games, Aaron Glenn got his first victory as coach and the Jets (1-7) defeated the Bengals (3-5) at Paycor Stadium.
Jets running back Breece Hall rushed for two touchdowns and threw a game-winning halfback option pass. Justin Fields also threw a touchdown pass. The Jets also finished with 254 yards rushing and 502 yards of offense.
“Offensive, we knew we wanted to run the ball quite a bit against this team,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “That’s one thing Tanner [Engstrand] didn’t get away from is running the ball. We knew our two guys would be able to make some yards when it comes to that.
“We wanted to make sure we created one-on-one so Justin could complete some of these splashy passes. I like the fact that he was getting the ball down the field, making these plays. We gotta do better and I understand that. But we did enough, especially when it was crunch time to go win this game, which I’m proud of.”
After going down by 15 points in the third quarter, the Jets slowly clawed back and finally took the lead with 1:54 remaining after Hall threw a touchdown pass to Mason Taylor in the back of the end zone. Nick Folk’s extra point gave the Jets a 39-38 advantage.
“I got the toss and Mason was open at first, but I couldn’t see him,” Hall said. “So in my head, I was going to pump fake it and see if he was still open and if not I’m going to throw it away.
“I pump faked it and I saw the defender with his back turned to me and I thought I’m just going to throw it up to Maso and see if he goes and gets it. I didn’t know if he scored, but I turned and looked at all the Bengals fans — they were just silent, staring at me. I thought, ‘All right, we’re in it now.’”
Cincinnati had one last chance to win the game and moved the ball quickly down the field. But the Jets held on for the one-point victory.
“Not acceptable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Humbling for us, certainly. [We] never got a chance to break that game open like we felt we were capable of.
“[We had] two opportunities at the end of the game there to close it out on offense and defensively to get guys on the ground. [The] tackling wasn’t good enough.”
The Jets won their first game with two of their stars injured. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson missed his second consecutive game due to a knee injury he suffered during the Week 6 loss to the Broncos. Cornerback Sauce Gardner also didn’t play against the Bengals after being placed in concussion protocol following a head injury against the Panthers last week.
Gang Green’s first win comes on the heels of the death of legendary center Nick Mangold, who died at 41 on Saturday night. Mangold played 11 seasons for the Jets and was a three-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor in 2022.
“My heart goes out to his family,” Jets center Joe Tippmann said. “Pregame and everything, I had him in my prayers and I did a lot of praying before the game. So just to be able to sit there and pray for him, pray for his family and keeping that in the back of my mind, I want to go out there and win this for him.
“The way he welcomed me when I got drafted playing center, he was with open arms, with anything I needed the whole time. To lose a great man like that, my heart goes out to his family.”
After playing games all week over who would start at quarterback, the Jets finally announced on Saturday that Fields would be the team’s quarterback against Cincinnati. Following a second-half benching against the Panthers, scrutiny from Jets owner Woody Johnson and fans alike, Fields had his best game since Week 1 against the Steelers.
Fields completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown pass to Tyler Johnson. He also ran for 32 yards on seven carries.
With 5:18 remaining in the second quarter, the Jets broke their nine-quarter touchdown drought. Fields first completed a 34-yard pass to Johnson, which put them on the Bengals’ 23. Then, on 4th and two at the 15-yard line, Fields, with pressure barraging down on him, threw a touchdown pass to Johnson, which trimmed Cincinnati’s lead to 17-10.
In addition to the Jets scoring their first touchdown since Week 5, they also snapped a streak of six straight games without scoring a first-half touchdown. The Jets offensive line also performed well against the Bengals.
“The biggest thing was the win,” Fields said. “Not for me, but my brothers in the locker room for the coaches and everybody that puts in work. So I’m glad we were able to do that. I’m glad we were able to come out and leave here with the W.”
Hall rushed for 133 yards on 18 carries and scored his first touchdown of the season, which was registered at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Backup Isaiah Davis also had his best game of the season, finishing with 66 yards on six carries.
The Jets averaged just 151 total yards the previous two weeks before Sunday’s game.
While their offense had its best game of the season, the Jets’ defense had its worst. Gang Green couldn’t stop a nosebleed, more or less, any of the Cincinnati players.
Joe Flacco finished 21-of-34 with 223 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing and one running). The Bengals rushed for 181 yards, which was the second most the Jets have allowed this season. In their Week 2 loss to Buffalo, the Jets gave up 224 rushing yards.
The Jets’ tackling was atrocious all day. On both Samaje Perine’s and Chase Brown’s touchdown runs, the Jets missed several tackles. However, their defense stood tall when it counted and held on for the victory after stopping the Bengals on their final two offensive possessions.
“We just believe in each other,” Jets pass rusher Jermaine Johnson said. “Coach [Glenn] has been preaching grit really since he got here, but definitely heavily over the past week.
“We all bought in, but it was a s–t defensive performance and our offense bailed it out. Breece, the O-Line, everybody, and Mason with crazy grab, Breece with a crazy throw, and the OC with a crazy call. But they bailed us out and the defense stepped up in that final drive.”
The Jets will have a bye in Week 9. Their next game will be on Nov. 9 when they host the Browns at MetLife Stadium.
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