The Jets (0-7) are headed to the jungle this weekend, aiming for their first victory against a Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) team that is trying to survive without starting QB Joe Burrow. While HC Aaron Glenn hasn't revealed his starting QB, the Bengals will turn their offensive controls over to Joe Flacco for a third consecutive game.
"Look, I'm down for a challenge," Glenn said Wednesday. "And being in this city with everything that's going on, knowing there's a storm that's going on around us, man I want to stay focused. I want our coaches to stay focused, and I want our players to stay focused on what's the task at hand."
'All on the Same Page'
Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Jets, the offense needs to generate more points. The team's last TD came when Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson connected for a 9-yard score with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Jets' 37-22 loss to the Cowboys on Oct. 5.
"We have to improve and we understand that" HC Aaron Glenn said. "We've gone two games without scoring a touchdown and we have to make sure we get better in that aspect. So, we're all on the same page. It might be said different, it might be said with different tones, but we've all been on the same page when it comes to that."
Limited to five Nick Folk field goals and a defensive safety in one-possession losses to Denver (13-11) and Carolina (13-6), the Jets will face a Bengals club that is allowing 30.6 pts/g. Since their 17-16 Week 1 win over the Browns, Cincinnati has yielded 27-plus points in six straight games.
"I think one thing that I'd like to talk about is finishing, something that we've talked about here quite a little bit and something that we're working on -- on a daily basis is finishing," said offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. "That goes all the way down to every single play, is finishing the play from the start of the snap to the echo of the referee's whistle. That goes through finishing the series with a touchdown instead of field goals to open up games, and it also goes to finishing games when we have the opportunity."
'You Need Everybody'
Either Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor will get the opportunity to lead the offense. Fields, who has totaled 7 TDs with 0 INTs and leads NFL QBs with 257 rush yards, has been sacked 17 times the past three games and was replaced by Taylor in the second half of last Sunday's loss to the Panthers.
"Everybody has to do their job, consistently," Fields said this week. "It takes all 11, not just one, two, three, four. That's the thing about offense -- you need everybody doing their job."
Taylor, who has been limited at practice due to a knee ailment, threw for 126 yards against Carolina and was intercepted twice. He started for an injured Fields (concussion) in a 29-27 loss Week 3 loss at Tampa and hit on 26-of-36 passes for 197 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT and rushed for 48 yards.
"It starts with me just doing my job and asking everyone else on the offense, all 11 of us to execute our jobs efficiently," Taylor said when asked about his mindset if he gets the call. "We don't have to be more than what the moment calls for. It's about us executing a play at a time and that's being on the same page, believing in one another, believing in the scheme, going out there, and playing free."
The Jets' offense needs to not look further than the other side of the ball to see how quickly things can turn around. After Jets' defenders discussed their standard prior to an overseas trip to London, the unit allowed 13 points each of the past two games, yielding 274 yds/g and holding Denver and Carolina to 14.5 first downs and 31.3% on third down.
"We've been in five one-score games so far this year, and on offense we've had the chance three times to win the game at the end of the game, and unfortunately, we came up short in all those areas, in those three instances," OC Tanner Engstrand said. "So, something that we've been focusing on is really finishing and getting the ability to finish in those situations by really honing our details and honing our craft and studying diligently in the classroom, and I think we're making headway there. We're looking forward to this challenge this week with Cincinnati, and it's a good outfit over there."
'Ton of Confidence in Both'
Facing a 10-point deficit in the second half last week, the Jets had just 9 yards on 4 rush attempts in the third and fourth quarters. Despite their offensive struggles, the Jets rank fifth in rush yds/play (4.86) and the Cincinnati defense is coming off a 33-31 shootout win over the Steelers where Pittsburgh ran for 147 yards while averaging 7.4 yds/rush.
"We have to run the ball early and just play penalty-free football and take care of the football," said C Josh Myers. "Just run it and mix it up early and just consistently move the ball the whole game. I think that's the biggest thing is the consistency."
Joe Flacco, 40, who made 9 starts with the Jets in 2020-22, is on a heater in the 'Nati after the Bengals acquired him from Cleveland on Oct. 7. And the Green & White could be missing their top offensive weapon (WR Garrett Wilson -- knee) and top cornerback (Sauce Gardner -- concussion) as they look to head to their bye week with a win. While Aaron Glenn has remained mum on his starting QB, the Jets' confidence is not wavering.
"Ton of confidence in both of them," said Myers, an Ohio State alum who played collegiately with Justin Fields. "I've gotten the pleasure of playing with Tyrod [Taylor] now, too. And both of those guys can handle it and have the ability to be great quarterbacks so confident in either one of them."
