The same old Jets are back.
Granted an ideal opportunity to make it four wins in a row against the winless Bengals, New York looked like the team that started the season 1-7 and gave Cincinnatti its first win of the season by a final score of 22-6 thanks to what was essentially a no-show performance.
The Jets can now say goodbye to any hope for a miraculous postseason push. They can also say goodbye to the momentum that seemingly had them trending in the right direction. Before putting this ugly loss in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look back at the action with four takeaways.
Typical Jets
Leave it to the Jets to lay an egg against the worst team in football after winning three games in a row.
New York had a prime opportunity to extend its winning streak to four against a winless Bengals squad, but fell flat on its face in Cincinnati. Maybe it was the dreary weather and nearly empty stadium that threw the Jets off. Maybe they simply got caught flat-footed by underestimating the Bengals and assuming they would lie down for them.
Either way, there’s no denying that Sunday’s performance was the latest example of the same old Jets coming out to play.
Where was the energy?
Arguably the biggest reason why the Jets were able to string together three consecutive wins was the energy they brought to the field on a weekly basis.
For whatever reason, that energy was simply not there against the Bengals. Jamal Adams, the team’s emotional leader, was flat and seemed disinterested. The rest of the team followed suit and turned in an uninspired performance.
It’s tough to get up for an 0-11 team, but the desire to continue the winning streak and any lingering hope for a postseason push should’ve been enough to get the Jets hyped up for this one. Instead, it looked like New York wanted to be anywhere other than Cincinnati on Sunday.
Missed opportunities prove costly
You can’t expect to win a game in the NFL when you fail to capitalize on numerous opportunities. That is the reality that hit the Jets hard against the Bengals.
New York had a chance to march down the field and put six on the board on its opening drive. Instead, Jets receivers dropped three passes. One of those drops by Braxton Berrios would’ve likely resulted in a touchdown. Sam Darnold also underthrew a ball to Robby Anderson in the end zone that Anderson would’ve caught if it was put out in front of him. To compound the problem, Darnold missed Demaryius Thomas for a touchdown later in the first half and failed to see other open receivers throughout the afternoon.
The Jets failed to take advantage of their opportunities on Sunday. The Bengals did not. That was the difference in the game.
Le’Veon Bell’s usage remains puzzling
Le’Veon Bell is a key part of the Jets’ offensive gameplan, but the rate at which he is used is puzzling, to say the least. Need an example of this? Look no further than his usage against the Bengals.
Bell ran the ball only 10 times for 32 yards against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. He also totaled four receptions on five targets for 35 yards. Fittingly, Bell’s biggest run of the season was wiped out by a holding penalty on Tom Compton in the third quarter.
The ground game with Bell was working in the opening minutes. Why Adam Gase went away from that doesn’t make much sense. It’s understandable that Gase wants to keep the dinged up Bell fresh, but what’s the point in having a star running back if you’re not going to use him?
