Jets Return to Mediocrity With Miserable Loss to Bengals
Coming off an unforgettable win against the Browns, a comeback victory that showed star power and resolve, the Jets had an opportunity to take their record above .500 for the first time since Week 1 of the 2018 season.
It didn't take long for the defending AFC champion Bengals to assert their dominance at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, though.
Cincinnati set the tone early and a putrid performance throughout from New York on both sides of the ball led to a 27-12 loss that was hard to watch.
The Bengals entered play 0-2, but they looked much more like a Super Bowl caliber team on Sunday. Joe Burrow racked up 275 passing yards in the blowout win with three touchdown passes.
All week, New York's players and coaches spoke about containing Burrow and his weapons, but they stood no chance on that side of the ball. Ja'Marr Chase had a touchdown grab, Tyler Boyd accumulated 105 receiving yards and Tee Higgins added 93 more receiving yards as well.
On the other side of the ball, the Bengals' pass rush had their way with New York's offensive line. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson had 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hits, wreaking havoc on Joe Flacco's blind side. Left tackle George Fant couldn't stop him—before departing with a knee injury—and backup Conor McDermott didn't fare any better.
Cincinnati wound up with four sacks in the win, hitting Flacco nine times while forcing three fumbles.
Burrow's barrage through the air began on Cincinnati's first drive of the game. The Bengals marched 75 yards with ease. They basically scored three touchdowns on that drive as well. A shovel pass to Boyd came back on a penalty and a pretty connection to Higgins in the back of the end zone was ruled incomplete before Samaje Perine hauled in a touchdown pass.
Cincinnati's second touchdown of the day came after a costly John Franklin-Myers unnecessary roughness penalty on third down, extending their drive. Burrow capitalized, hitting Boyd over the middle on another third down, who bounced off a would-be tackler and scampered away for a 56-yard touchdown.
New York was able to put points on the board, but they never scored a touchdown. Kicker Greg Zuerlein finished 4-for-4 on field goals. When you're putting three on the board and your opponent is adding seven, it's not a recipe for success.
At halftime, Burrow had 215 passing yards with two touchdowns. Cincinnati started the second half with a similar tone-setting score, punching it in on a Burrow pass to a wide open Chase after Hendrickson's strip sack deep in Jets territory.
Any chance of another dramatic comeback was erased on Flacco's final pass of the day, his second interception, coming on a deflection. He finished with 285 passing yards, completing just 28 of his 52 pass attempts.
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