Jets Soar Back

Running back Breece Hall rushed for two touchdowns and then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mason Taylor with less than two minutes left, and the New York Jets came back to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38 on the road on Sunday for their first victory of the season.

The Jets entered the game as the NFL’s lone winless team at 0-7, and for a time, it looked like they were headed for an eighth-straight loss under first-year coach Aaron Glenn. The Bengals led 31-16 late in the third quarter and seemed to be in control.

The Jets, however, did not quit. When Hall rushed for a 27-yard touchdown with 8:01 left, it brought New York within 38-30, and Glenn elected to go for a two-point conversion. Justin Fields’ pass to Isaiah Davis was initially ruled incomplete, but the call was overturned after a replay review, and officials ruled that the ball broke the plane, making the score 38-32. The Jets then held the Bengals, setting up their winning drive.

The Jets’ offense had been anemic in recent weeks — they had failed to score a touchdown in the previous two games — and Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor at halftime of last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. Taylor was out with a knee injury, however, and did not make the trip to Cincinnati. That gave Fields the starting job almost by default. Sunday’s result was much different: 502 yards of total offense, including 244 yards passing from Fields.

Joe Flacco threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns for Cincinnati, which fell to 3-5.

The Jets had a dominant rushing attack led by Hall (18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns) and Davis (seven carries and 65 yards), but the biggest takeaway was how Fields responded. The quarterback was benched at halftime last week and criticized publicly by owner Woody Johnson this week, and Fields responded with his best performance since Week 1.

Fields finished 21 of 32 for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions — a steady, calm performance that the Jets needed as their defense crumbled.