The Bengals entered week 8 fresh off a primetime win over the division rival Steelers. Facing the 0-7 New York Jets, a win would open the possibility of exiting Sunday’s slate equal in wins with the division leading Steelers. In a game where the Bengals were heavily favoured at home, the expectations were high.
It was a pretty solid start for the home team. After kicking a field goal on their opening drive, the Bengals defence got a big 4th down stop inside of Jets territory. A 16 yard pass from Joe Flacco to Noah Fant got things going, before a 10 yard run by Samaje Perine set them up at the 1 yard line. From there, Flacco ran the QB sneak to give them an early 2 score lead.
10-0 Bengals.
The two teams traded punts before the Jets got on the board through a field goal by Folk. But the Bengals didn’t relent. Flacco found Ja’Marr Chase for 17 yards and then again for 8. On the 3rd play of the drive, he hit Tee Higgins deep for a 44 yard TD. Surprisingly, this would be Higgins’ only reception of the game.
17-3 Bengals.
The Jets, however, would not let the Bengals run away with it. After a handful of short gains, Fields found Johnson down the field for 34 yards. Shortly after, he found Johnson again for a 15 yard TD on 4th & 2. Johnson was able to get behind Dax Hill on the play, and Fields stood in through pressure to deliver the pass.
17-10 Bengals.
Back on offence, the Bengals took their turn to work the short game. Chase and Perine were both involved, as was Chase Brown. Eventually, it was Brown who went for the chunk play. He caught Flacco’s pass in the middle of the field before fighting through some contact to get into the end zone.
Before the half, the Jets would add a field goal, and Cincinnati went into the locker room with an 11 point lead.
24-13 Bengals at the half.
In the 3rd quarter, the Jets cut into the lead with a field goal, but Cincinnati’s offence continued to roll. A 13 yard scramble by Flacco on 3rd & 12 was almost as shocking as his read option play from last week. Yet, it did the trick. Perine continued to get some Carrie’s on this drive, and did well with them. He was the one to cap it off, taking the handoff 32 yards to the house.
31-16 Bengals.
The Jets, on their next drive, again cut into the lead. A 35 yard run by Hall was the highlight, as it mixed in with several shorter plays. Hall was then the one to punch it in from 5 yards out. New York went for the 2 point conversion, and their attempt was successful, making it a 7 point game.
31-24 Bengals.
Perine’s run of form continued into the next drive. He took the handoff on the first two plays, going for 21 and 11 yards, respectively. Flacco hit Chase on a couple of passes, before Brown had a couple of solid runs. Brown then was able to punch in his 2nd TD of the game, this time taking the handoff from the 1 yard line.
38-24 Bengals.
The Bengals had again restored their two score lead, but the Jets refused to quit. A 24 yard completion from Fields to Rucker’s kept the drive alive on 4th & 1, and this enabled Hall to go for a 27 yard rushing TD on the next play. The Jets again went for 2, and again converted, making it just a 6 point game.
38-32 Bengals.
Cincinnati was forced to punt on the next drive, and the previous two defensive drives for the Bengals were good indicators of what was still to come. Fields found Smith for 23 yards, before the Jets proceeded to methodically move the ball down the field. With 1st & goal at the Bengals 4 yard line, Hall was given the rock on an outside run. But when it looked like the defence had things bottled up, Hall lobbed a pass into the back of the end zone. Turner had his back to the ball, and was unable to break up the pass. Instead, Taylor, the TE, made the catch. Folk’s extra point gave the Jets the lead for the first time.
39-38 Jets.
The Bengals needed a field goal to win, and had 1:27 on the clock. Unfortunately, near midfield, they turned it over on downs, after Andrei Iosivas failed to haul in the pass.
It was an embarrassing loss for the Bengals, blowing a large 4th quarter lead to hand the Jets their first win of the season. They now drop to 3-5 on the year, and still sit behind the 4-3 Steelers in the AFC North.
Next week, the Bengals will host the Chicago Bears, as they look to get back in the win column.
