CINCINNATI —The Jets don’t have to talk about being the NFL’s only winless team anymore.
They stormed back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit on Sunday to beat the Bengals 39-38 at Paycor Stadium, getting their first win of the season and for first-year coach Aaron Glenn in the craziest way possible.
And not just because they scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, which is more than they had scored in the previous two games combined. It’s because of how they scored the game-winning touchdown.
Running back Breece Hall floated a four-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor with 1:54 remaining. It was the first touchdown catch of Taylor’s career and the first pass attempt of Hall’s career.
But it it was enough to lift the Jets past the Bengals with Nick Folk’s extra point as they finally got their elusive first win.
Field Day
Just five days after being publicly ripped by owner Woody Johnson, quarterback Justin Fields turned in his best performance since Week 1 finishing 21-of-32 for 244 yards and a touchdown pass. He also ran for 31 yards on 11 carries.
Fields threw a perfect 15-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to Tyler Johnson — the Jets’ first first-half touchdown since Week 1, remarkably.
After a week where it seemed like he was certain to lose his job, Fields not only bounced back, but helped lead the Jets to their first win of the season.
A wild finish
The Jets pulled within a possession midway through the third quarter when they got it to 24-16. And then they showed everyone why they were still looking for their first win: the defense allowed the Bengals to go on a touchdown drive that never should have happened, giving up a 13-yard scramble to a 40-year old quarterback Joe Flacco on third-and-12 in Cincinnati territory.
Then with the Bengals in Jets territory, they appeared to escape the drive when Azareye’h Thomas picked off a deflected pass to receiver Ja’Marr Chase near the end zone. But what would have been the Jets’ first interception of the season was wiped out because Thomas didn’t re-establish himself back in bounds.
On the very next play, Bengals running back Samaje Perine bolted through the middle of the defense for a 32-yard touchdown, shedding a poor tackle attempt from rookie safety Malachi Moore. And the Jets found themselves once again down 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Jets scored a touchdown to start the fourth-quarter, Breece Hall’s first of the season. But the cycle repeated itself as they allowed a seven-play, 73-yard touchdown drive in less than four minutes to fall behind 38-24 with 10 minutes to go.
But once again the Jets responded, with Hall dashing 27 yards for a touchdown and Fields finding Isaiah Davis on a wild two-point conversion to pull the Jets within 38-32 with 7:52 to go.
And that’s when the defense finally got a quick stop, and suddenly, remarkably and unbelievably, the Jets had a chance to take the lead with just under seven minutes to go.
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