Jets lose to winless Bengals
Jets’ 3-game win streak goes up in smoke against previously winless Bengals
CINCINNATI — Did the Jets fool you? Did they sucker you into believing again after a threegame winning streak?
Well, they reminded you of who the 2019 Jets are on Sunday, a group capable of losing to anyone. On this day, it was the previously winless Bengals not just beating the Jets, but dominating them in a 22-6 Jets loss, their second to a team searching for its first win in the last month. They became the first team in NFL history to lose twice in one season to teams with 0-7 records or worse, according to ESPN.
“I feel like this is playoff football for us,” veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. “I don’t even know if we have a chance, but these last couple of games are like playoff football for us, so we had to take everyone like it was a playoff game.
“It’s tough because we were a totally different team last week [beating the Raiders 34-3]. I hate to talk about old stuff, but this week we certainly weren’t the team we were last week. We have to figure that out and work on things to make us come out every week and play like that. I don’t care who the opponent is.”
The Jets failed to show up at Paul Brown Stadium and the impost er sin the white uniforms looked nothing like the team that beat t he Raiders. They looked lifeless and could do nothing on offense. Bengals quarter back Andy Dalton had open receivers to throw to. When the Bengals were not beating them, the Jets were beating themselves. They committed penalties at critical times and opened the game with three dropped passes that killed their first drive.
The Jets at least came away with a Sam Ficken field goal on that drive and a 3-0 lead. After that, it was all Bengals, who had lost 11 straight before getting their first win under coach Zac Taylor, who received a Gatorade bath after this one.
The Jets failed to reach the red zone, never mind the end zone.
The Jets fell to 4-8, locking up their fourth straight non-winning season and eighth in nine years. There is a mathematical way the Jets can still make the playoffs, but there is also a possibility the weather will be nice enough in New York to go to the beach on Monday.
Adam Gas e’ s team looked flat from the start. Le’Veon Bell dropped a pass from Sam Darnold to start the game and it was a harbinger. Robby Anderson dropped a pass in the end zone that was underthrown by Darnold but still catchable. Braxton Barrios pulled off the hat trick with another drop on the drive.
After reaching 400 yards in back-to-back weeks, the Jets finished with 271 yards. Darnold went 28 of 48 for 239 yards. Bell had only 32 rushing yards on 10 carries, as his frustrating first season with the Jets continues. Anderson was the lone bright spot with seven catches for 101 yards.
The Bengals entered with the worst rushing defense in the NFL, but Gase called only nine runs out of 37 plays in the f irst half and three out of 20 plays in the second quarter.
“That’s just how the game was going,” Gase said.
Dalton, making his f irst start in four weeks, was not spectacular but gave the Bengals a jolt. He picked on the Jets cornerbacks, repeatedly f inding open receivers. He hit Tyler Boyd for a 17-yard touchdown with 1 minute 17 seconds left in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead, a lead Cincinnati would not relinquish.
Penalties killed the Jets. They had 10 for 106 yards. Left tackle
K elvin Beachum had three penalties. The first was a block in the back that wiped out a 23-yard gain by Bilal Powell on a screen pass and killed a drive. Beachum was called for holding in the end zone in the third quarter, which resulted in a safety and a 19-6 Bengals lead.
“Every time we had something going, we’d shoot ourselves in the foot,” Gase said.
The Jets gained 7 yards on eight plays in the third quarter. Those stats would have been better if guard Tom Compton had not been flagged for holding on a 23-yard run by Bell that would have been his longest run of the season.
The line was awful, giving up four sacks and committing seven penalties — six in the second half.
The Bengals dominated both lines. The Jets sacked Dalton only once and hi t him twice — only once by a defensive lineman. Not to be out done, the Jets defense had a bad penalty of its own. Linebacker Neville Hewitt was flagged for pass interference at the Bengals’ 5, a penalty of 39 yards. Joe Mix on scored a touch down two plays later.
Safety Jamal Adams played the entire game but he left the stadium with a walking boot on his left foot, saying he injured it in the first quarter.
This is the second embarrassing loss in a month for the Jets, who lost to an 0-7 Dolphins team on Nov. 3.
“It sucks because we lost to Miami earlier in the year when they were win less as well ,” defensive lineman Henry Anderson said. “You don’t like to be that team that gives a team their first win of the season. It sucks.”
It appeared the Jets may have turned a corner in recent weeks, but the winning streak was three and out.
They fooled us.