Game recap: Jets well beaten by Bengals

Cincinnati’s comfortable victory at MetLife last Sunday showed the contrast between elite teams and below-average teams. The Bengals had played five straight games with the score decided by three points. This time, the AFC Champions left no doubt.

An opening drive featured Joe Burrow fitting two tight passes to Tee Higgins. Burrow converted two third-downs before Samje Perine caught a touchdown pass. With a dropped ball by Breece Hall because of bad timing with Joe Flacco, a Greg Zurlein field goal put New York on the board.

The Jets didn’t take full advantage of a Jamarr Chase fumble and settled for another field goal. A 7-6 game at the 1:49 mark of the first spelled a decent quarter for both teams.

A fatal mental error from John Franklin-Myers became the catalyst for the remainder of play. Franklin-Myers was flagged for Roughing the Passer on a 3rd-and-9, extending the drive. Tyler Boyd beat Michael Carter II inside and bounced off Jordan Whitehead on the way to the end zone to end the first quarter.

An all-out blitz failed to touch Burrow on the play. These two specific plays to wind down the quarter are what separate franchises like the Jets and Bengals. Cincinnati can capitalize for touchdowns but New York fails to get off the field and miss a tackle. Even when Chase fumbled, Flacco and the offense converted the turnover into only a field goal. Cincinnati won 27-12 to avoid an 0-3 start to the season that would’ve virtually eliminated them from a postseason spot.

Zach Wilson is cleared to play in Pittsburgh for his first action since a preseason injury. Although it’s only a sophomore campaign, it has make-or-break implications. Although the receivers aren’t elite, having Garrett Wilson and tight end depth is a bonus. Breece Hall is an option for checkdown throws on late downs. An honest indicator of Wilson will be the in-structure plays.

At BYU, he could survive out-of-structure and stretch the defense from each hash mark. Obviously in college, the hash marks are wider so that factor is non-existent in the NFL. Few quarterbacks have thrived on second reaction plays outside of Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray. No one can reasonably expect Zach Wilson to elevate to the impact of those players.

Those routine progressions have to be the feature of the offense. In the home loss versus Tampa Bay, Wilson showed that he’s capable. Jets general manager Joe Douglas doesn’t want to have to draft a first-round quarterback in 2023. But this crucial decision rests on the right shoulder of Zach Wilson.