10/21 — For the longest time this afternoon, it appeared the Jets were poised to run away and hide for a big road victory at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. Yet here they are poised to fall behind if they can't keep the Bengals out of the end zone.

The defense allows another third-and-long to get converted, this time third-and-8 when Darrelle Revis commits his second interference of the second half on WR Glenn Holt for a first down at the 19. Maybe the Jets' recent red zone magic will hold?

No. Carson Palmer hits Holt to the 1 as Kerry Rhodes' blitz is picked up. And Kenny Watson barges in. The extra point begins with a high inside snap, and Shayne Graham barely gets the kick inside the right upright. But it counts. And the Jets trail for the first time this afternoon with 13:31 left.

Watson has 108 rushing yards.

Bengals 24, Jets 23

Chad Pennington saves another three-and-out by shrugging off two sack attempts and diving head-first for the stick and making it.

Then the QB makes another play, one he probably would've preferred not making, when blitzing S Madieu Williams is called for a personal foul for striking Pennington with the top of his helmet. The replay doesn't look convincing, but the Jets will take it.

Then disaster. Pennington is again doing his presnap play directing. He claps his hands, appearing to be calling for the shotgun snap from Nick Mangold, but that doesn't always mean for Mangold to snap it. However, Mangold looks through his legs, see the clap, lifts his head and snaps. Pennington is not ready for the ball. The fumble is recovered by the long-haired DT Domata Peko at midfield.

The Bengals move to the 14 on a simultaneous completion by WR Glenn Holt and CB Darrelle Revis that Eric Mangini challenged was a Revis INT but was not overruled by Tony Corrente, then a late hit by first-time starting S Abram Elam. On third-and-7 it's a Palmer shovel to Kenny Watson to the 2, then it's Watson over his right side for the TD. Shayne Graham's PAT makes it an eight-point game with 6:09 to go. The Jets' run defense has turned backup Watson into a star — he has a career-high 114 rushing yards.

The last time the Jets gave up three rushing TDs to one back, it was in the bad old days of 2005, when both San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson and then-Bronco Mike Anderson did it.

Bengals 31, Jets 23

Leon Washington still can't get untracked vs. a maligned Cinci kick-coverage unit, and on top of his muff to start the return, Rashad Washington is called for holding, so the Jets need to go 89 yards for a shot at the tie.

And they won't get it on this drive as on third-and-6 at their 15, Pennington is sacked by Madieu Williams on an all-out blitz. This time Williams doesn't get his helmet anywhere near Pennington's chin. Ben Graham atones for his last punt with a 58-yarder from his end zone, but again the Jets find themselves perched precariously on the precipice of defeat.

The Jets force a punt but they have 1:44 to go, no timeouts and the ball on his 12 after Leon Washington makes the fair catch.

Washington gets the first down and gets out of bounds at the 24 with 1:19 left. Then Coles grabs the out-route at the sticksfor another first down at the 35 with 1:14 to go. And Coles fights his way out of bounds after 5 yards to the 40 with 1:07 left.

But Pennington goes down on the sack as the clock rolls past 0:50. And then Pennington throws a hurried pass for Coles on the left sideline under blitz pressure again. Johnathan Joseph jumps the route, snags the easy pick and goes 42 yards for the sealing TD. The Bengals will get their second win, the Jets will have their losing streak extended and see their record sink to 1-6.

And CBS announcer Ian Eagle says, as Graham puts through the 38th point for the Bengals, "That could be the last pass you see Chad Pnennington throw as the starting quarterback." We'll see how that plays out in the postgame locker room.

Bengals 38, Jets 23

Eagle takes back that last remark because Pennington continues to play in the final seconds of the game, hitting Jerricho Cotchery. Then a Hail Mary to Brad Smith in the end zone that Smith has his hands on momentarily but can't hold, then another Hail Mary to Laveranues Coles that goes incomplete, then, with three seconds to go he finally connects with Cotchery for the 32-yard Hail Mary TD. The two-point conversion, by rule, is attempted, and Pennington connects with Washington. But it's too little, too late as the game ends.

Bengals 38, Jets 31

My postgame Radar entry will be delayed until after midnight tonight due to the quick travel connections from locker room to bus to airport to the long 1-hour, 45-minute flight back home.