Bengals Seek Momentum, Jets Chase First Win
The Cincinnati Bengals will try to return to an even record while the New York Jets continue searching for their first win of the season when the two teams face off Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
Cincinnati (3–4) comes in rested and rejuvenated following its best win of the season — a 33–31 last-second triumph over division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 16. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak. It rekindled the team’s AFC North title hopes as it closes a three-game homestand with games against the Jets and the Chicago Bears.
“It’s a huge win. We needed this,” coach Zac Taylor said after the victory. “It had been too long since we won. When you’re fighting for all these things that we fight for and these guys just keep coming — as a coach, you’re (telling them), ‘Keep sticking with it.’ I see it coming. You need the results, and so we got the results. There were no non-believers in that locker room.”
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson could make his return after missing the Steelers game with a hip injury. He participated in limited practice on Wednesday, signaling progress toward a comeback.
Meanwhile, the Jets (0–7) — the NFL’s only winless team — face mounting uncertainty, particularly at quarterback. Head coach Aaron Glenn declined to name a starter early in the week after Justin Fields was benched during last Sunday’s 13–6 loss to the Carolina Panthers, completing just six of 12 passes for 46 yards.
Jets owner Woody Johnson publicly expressed frustration with the team’s offense — and with Fields — during NFL owners’ meetings in New York.
“If we can just complete a pass, it would look good,” Johnson said. “The offense is just not clicking, and you can’t run the ball if you can’t pass the ball. That’s football 101.”
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, he has the ability, but something just is not jiving,” Johnson added. “You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”
Fields responded calmly, telling reporters, “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. That’s just what it is, but you just have a choice or not whether those opinions affect you or not.”
Backup Tyrod Taylor, who replaced Fields, also struggled — completing 10 of 22 passes for 126 yards with two interceptions before leaving the game with a knee injury, leaving his status for Sunday uncertain.
The Jets’ injury woes extend beyond the quarterback. Star cornerback Sauce Gardner entered concussion protocol, and receiver Garrett Wilson remains questionable after missing last week’s game with a knee injury. If Gardner returns, the matchup will mark his first game back in Cincinnati since starring for the 2021 Bearcats, who reached the College Football Playoff.
For the Bengals, veteran quarterback Joe Flacco has steadied the offense since taking over in Week 6. Against Pittsburgh, he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, connecting repeatedly with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase broke his own franchise record with 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the fifth time in his career. Higgins added six catches for 96 yards and a score, including a 28-yard reception that set up the game-winning field goal.
With confidence renewed, Cincinnati now looks to carry momentum forward and get back to .500. At the same time, the Jets — desperate for answers — hope to find stability before their season slips further out of reach.
