This one is going to sting for a long time for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Looking to move back to .500, the Bengals led the New York Jets for most of their Oct. 26 game at Paycor Stadium before a stunning Jets comeback saw the visitors emerge victorious, 39-38.
The loss was an improbable one for Cincinnati. It was almost unexplainable for head coach Zac Taylor.
“I wish I had the reason for you,” Taylor said. “Someone’s got to step up and make a play. Someone’s going to (have to) make a point either way just to separate that game for us − create a turnover, getting on the ground, third down, win offensively explosive plays in the game. Just never happened for us.
“It was right there for us to grab and create some momentum for ourselves, and we missed the opportunity. Quite simple. You’ve got to give credit to the Jets. We had them down multiple times (by) big scores, and we just never delivered that knockout blow and they just kept hanging in there. They made play after play, and their confidence rose.”
Cincinnati Bengals postgame wrap| What went wrong in loss to Jets
Enquirer beat writer Kelsey Conway breaks down what went wrong in the Bengals’ loss to the Jets on Oct. 26.
Joe Flacco stats in Bengals loss to Jets
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Flacco (21-for-34, 223 yards, two touchdowns) led the Bengals to scores six of their first eight drives, and four different players scored their five touchdowns (Chase Browns 2, Tee Higgins, Semaje Perine, Flacco rushing).
A prolific day of Bengals offense still fell short.
Cincinnati.com administers its weekly dose of superlatives from this Bengals defeat, which saw the club drop to 3-5.
Who was the most valuable player on the field for Bengals-Jets?
Supposedly, New York was shorthanded coming into Paycor Stadium. You never would have guessed it by how effective the offense was, and while quarterback Justin Fields produced an effort that should give the Jets’ owners something to think about, Breece Hall was the most important player in this game.
Hall ran for 133 yards on 18 carries and had two touchdowns (plus two catches for 14 yards). Hall also threw for a touchdown when, from 4 yards out, he lobbed a ball up for tight end Mason Taylor to snag in the back of the end zone. That play tied the game at 38. The ensuing post-after attempt proved to be the decisive point for New York.
No Garrett Wilson for Fields to throw to? That didn’t matter this week. Not with Hall enjoying the most rushing yards since posting 177 against the Denver Broncos in 2023.
What was the most crucial play in the New York Jets’ win over Cincinnati Bengals?
The Jets’ Will McDonald IV sacked Flacco on third-and-10 on the Cincinnati 22-yard line with 7:41 to play. The Bengals were still leading, but the momentum was shifting.
Flacco also appeared to be injured on the play. Backuop quarterback Jake Browning started warming up for Cincinnati, and Flacco appeared to be receiving treatment. Flacco would eventually lead the Bengals on the final, unsuccessful drive in the closing minutes, and whatever injury he sustained didn’t impact his ability to play, Taylor indicated. But the injury certainly added an element of chaos to the Bengals sideline during crunch time.
You knew the game was over when …
Speaking of Flacco being sacked, that’s part of the answer to this prompt, too. The thought of Cincinnati giving the game away continued to lurk the longer the Jets managed to hang around, but the game took its final, dark turn when Flacco was sacked and the Bengals were forced to punt the ball away with 7:04 remaining in regulation.
By that point, it was clear that while the Bengals’ offense provided what should have been ample scoring, Cincinnati’s defense was spiraling. The Bengals held a 38-32 lead, then the Jets drove 58 yards on nine plays in 4:56. They controlled just enough clock to put the Bengals in a tight spot when they got the ball back.
The moment the Jets finally had a chance to go in front for the first time all game, the mood changed inside Paycor Stadium because what came next felt inevitable.
New York went ahead 39-38, and Cincinnati bobbled and dropped away its final drive.
How much offense should the Bengals realistically be expected to produce?
In practice, 38 points wasn’t enough against the Jets, but it should have been. In fact, it should be enough to win handsomely, especially against a Jets team that didn’t have receiver Garrett Wilson available and started a quarterback that was under fire from everyone this past week, including Jets ownership.
The play calling and execution on Cincinnati’s final drive was being scrutinized heavily all over social media in the aftermath of the game.
Why was Andre Iosivas on the receiving end of the most important targets? How did Chase Brown manage to drop a ball on that drive after his explosive, two-score performance that saw him make a dent in both the passing and the rushing game? And why did Taylor allow so much time to get burned off the clock around midfield?
Some better questions might be: After scoring 38 points, why were the Bengals trailing with less than two minutes to go in the first place? And even if Cincinnati pulled another late win out of the fire, can the team sustain itself as a contender by repeatedly having to win in this fashion?
The answer to the latter question is no. Thirty-eight points, the team’s highest output of 2025, should be more than enough against a winless Jets team that hadn’t scored a touchdown in its last two games. The scrutiny should be pointed squarely at the defense.
It wasn’t just surrendering the lead late, too. No sacks. No turnovers. One quarterback hit. That’s rarely going to get it done at this level.
What’s the biggest positive from the game for Cincinnati?
For now, the offense is generally still humming even if it fell short on the final two drives of the game.
We also say “for now” because it looks like fans are in a wait-and-see mode regarding whatever injury Flacco suffered on the McDonald sack. Asked afterward if he was concerned about the injury, Flacco said: “I don’t think so. We’ll have to wait and see what we talk about.”
We’ll likely know more about Flacco’s injury status on Oct. 27, but minimal damage to the player that has made Cincinnati’s offense so formidable over the last three weeks since arriving via trade is at least some reason to hold on for hope this season.