New York Nightmare: Bengals Blow Big Opportunity, Lose to Jets 34-31

Cincinnati falls to 5-3 on the season

Author:
James Rapien
Updated:
Oct 31, 2021 4:48 PM EDT
Original:
Oct 31, 2021

CINCINNATI — The Bengals were flying high following their Week 7 over the Ravens.

They went to New York hoping to maintain their lead in the AFC North. Instead, their dream became a Halloween nightmare.

The Jets scored 20 second half points and rallied from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Bengals 34-31.

"We just came out flat today," Joe Burrow said after the game.

Cincinnati falls to 5-3 this season. Here are some postgame observations.

What Dominant Defense?

The Bengals forced three first half turnovers, but they allowed the Jets score on five-straight possessions, including their first four second half possessions.

Mike White made his first career start for the Jets and the young quarterback looked comfortable for most of the game.

It was shocking to see White lead the Jets up and down the field, but that's exactly what happened. This was by far the worse game of the season for Lou Anarumo's crew.

Sunday was the first time the Jets have topped the 30-point mark since Week 12 of the 2019 season (28 games).

Mike 'Flight' White

White completed 37-of-44 passes for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The Jets hadn't had a 400-yard passer since Vinny Testaverde did it in 2000.

"He (Mike White) was impressive, he played really well. Congrats to him, playing that way against our defense," Burrow said.

He completed his first 11 passes, which is the longest streak by a player in their first career start since 1978 according to Elias Sports.

New York scored on five-straight possessions

Linebackers Shredded

The Bengals' linebackers lost the battle in coverage on Sunday. The Jets dink-and-dunked their way downfield, which included plenty of passes underneath and in the flat to Jamison Crowder, Michael Carter and Ty Johnson.

Questionable Call

Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton was called for unnecessary roughness with less than two minutes left in the game. He tackled Ty Johnson on 3rd-and-long. Instead of getting the ball back to Joe Burrow and company, the Jets got a fresh set of downs.

3rd Down Woes

The Bengals started 1-for-6 on third down, but Burrow found C.J. Uzomah for a 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-10 to extend a drive that ultimately ended with a huge touchdown that put the Bengals up by double-digits.

Instead of going three-and-out, the Bengals went on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. They converted three third-downs on the drive, including a 3rd-and-6 at the 10-yard line. Burrow found Tyler Boyd for the touchdown. Watch the play here.

More Records for the Dynamic Duo

Burrow has thrown two or more touchdown passes all eight games this season. Dan Marino is the only first or second-year quarterback to accomplish that feat.

He completed 21-of-34 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Ja'Marr Chase's 2-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter gives him six scores in eight games. He's only the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to accomplish that feat.

Charlie Brown, Willie Green, Donte Stallworth and Marques Colston are the other four players that had six touchdown grabs.

Watch highlights from Sunday's game here.

Up Next

The Bengals host the Browns at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. ET. Cleveland has won five of their past six matchups against Cincinnati.

Make sure you bookmark All Bengals for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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