The emotional high the Jets were on after coming back to beat the Browns in Week 2 quickly turned back into rock bottom as the Jets looked completely flat in a 27-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, dropping the Jets to 1-2 on the year. Let’s check out some studs and duds from this one.
Stud - Quinnen Williams and Sheldon Rankins
At least the Jets had some highlights on the defensive line. Williams and Rankins each came up with a sack of Joe Burrow and were key in keeping the Bengals’ rushing attack in check. Cincinnati had just 69 rushing yards on 28 carries (12 carries, 24 yards for Joe Mixon).
Williams also led the defense with three of the Jets’ nine hits of Burrow, while also adding a tackle for a loss and recording four tackles total. Rankins had a hit on Burrow, a tackle for a loss and seven total tackles.
Dud - The rest of the defensive line
Quinnen Williams and Sheldon Rankins did their part in trying to create a pass rush. Unfortunately, the rest of the defensive linemen didn’t do their part. Those two sacks from Williams and Rankins were the only sacks of Burrow, a quarterback that had been sacked 13 times through the first two games of the season.
Carl Lawson was the only other lineman to record a hit of Burrow, getting two hits. The other Jets to get a hit were Lamarcus Joyner (2) and Quincy Williams (1).
The Jets stressed pass rush all week, really feeling like they needed to get that going and that this would be the week it would finally start to come together. It didn’t and Burrow threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns as a result.
Stud - D.J. Reed and Sauce Gardner
Another week, another solid combined force from Reed and Gardner. Gardner went toe-to-toe with Ja’Marr Chase and made some excellent plays against him and went on to record two pass-breakups, which led the Jets on Sunday. Reed also had a PBU of his own.
Dud - Lamarcus Joyner and Jordan Whitehead
Joyner had a nice stop on the early trick play by the Bengals, but overall, it was another forgettable performance from the Jets’ safeties. Especially Whitehead, who missed a sure tackle of Tyler Boyd that led to him racing 56 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter. The Jets never seemed to recover from that score.
And to tie together this and the defensive line posts, the unnecessary roughness penalty on John Franklin-Myers gave the Bengals a fresh set of downs and that Boyd touchdown came three plays later.
Stud - Greg Zuerlein
Greg Zuerlein was the only Jet responsible for points Sunday, as he went 4/4 on field goal attempts and accounted for all 12 points. All four field goals were from at least 40 yards out, with two of them being at least 50 yards. At least that’s one position the Jets can feel good about right now.
Dud - George Fant
The offensive line as a whole struggled, allowing four sacks of Joe Flacco. But it’s hard to argue an offensive lineman for the Jets having a worse start to the season than Fant. Yes, he’s had to change positions twice in about a month, but he also spent all of last season at left tackle with Mekhi Becton injured. And with Joe Flacco not able to escape the pocket very well, Fant’s struggles become magnified because it becomes much easier for the opposing defense to get to Flacco.
Conor McDermott didn’t fare much better after he replaced Fant, who left with an injury. Needless to say, the Jets are hoping Duane Brown is able to return at some point this season. Or at least the mobility of Zach Wilson can make the job a little easier for Fant. Either way, the status quo isn’t working.
Stud - Breece Hall
Breece Hall had his best game as a professional, totaling 92 yards on 14 touches. He saw a team-high 11 targets (despite a drop), catching six passes for 53 yards, seeing a lot more usage in the passing game this week than Michael Carter (one catch on two targets for seven yards). As Hall becomes more comfortable, he’ll become a better running back, but he continues to show flashes in the early-going.
Dud - Jets' third-down defense
The Jets needed to try and turn around their third-down defense, where they ranked 29th in the league entering Week 3. Opponents were converting 52% of their third-down attempts against the Jets through the first two weeks of the season. The Bengals converted 50% of theirs on Sunday, going 7/14. On top of that, all three of Cincinnati’s touchdowns came on third down, including the last play of the first quarter, the 56-yard touchdown by Tyler Boyd. We’ll see if they can finally cut down on third-down mistakes next week against Mitch Trubisky and the Steelers.
Stud - Garrett Wilson
He had to leave for a moment due to a rib injury, but Garrett Wilson was able to return and finish with 60 yards on six catches. His ten targets was tied with Elijah Moore for second on the team behind Breece Hall’s 11. When Zach Wilson returns, the Wilson twins could create quite a bit of magic together and start tapping into some of the potential of this Jets’ offense.
Shoutout also too Tyler Conklin for finally having a strong game as a Jet. Eight catches for 84 yards led the way for New York. And C.J. Uzomah also had his first catch as a Jet, getting one against his former team.
Dud - Joe Flacco
We’ve gone from fans chanting for Mike White in Week 1 to Joe Flacco being the hero in Week 2 to fans chanting for Mike White again in Week 3. That’s how bad the offense and Joe Flacco were against the Bengals. Flacco finished 28/52 for 285 yards and two interceptions. It’s the second time this season Flacco has thrown more than 50 times in a game (59 attempts against the Ravens).
The Jets are likely praying that Zach Wilson gets cleared this week and that he can play next week against the Steelers. The Jets and their fans really can’t take much more of this.
