They did it! The New York Jets have taken down the Cincinnati Bengals this week. The fans deserve this after six weeks of watching a glorified Division 1 football team. Anyways, the Jets are back in the win column, so here is a look at the New York Jets Week 8 Review: Cincinnati Bengals.
Mike White – QB1?
Mike White made his first career start this week, and he became the second player to throw for 400 yards in their first career start, after Cam Newton did it back in 2011. He didn’t throw it downfield, but the dink and dunk style seemed to work wonders for him, as well as the offense in general, and it resulted in the Jets scoring 30 points for the first time since Week 12 of 2019. He was efficient, and with the exception of two interceptions, neither of which can fully be blamed on him, he was downright good.
Michael Carter also established himself as “the guy” in the Jets backfield, finishing with 172 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He was used effectively in the passing game, finishing with nine receptions. The offensive line was also outstanding, creating huge holes for Carter and Ty Johnson to run through. They also kept White off the ground, something they consistently failed to do with Zach Wilson. While they did allow two sacks, this can be seen as a considerable upgrade in performance.
Mike LaFleur also was deep in his bag this week, pulling out a double pass AND a trick play that drew a pass interference penalty. Elijah Moore got involved, finishing with six catches for 67 yards. Overall, the team looked completely different on offense, raising questions about who the starting quarterback will be moving forward. When asked about this dilemma after the game, Robert Saleh said, “Anything is possible.”
C.J. Mosley is Incredible
C.J. Mosley was active this week, and the difference was incredibly notable. After White threw an interception to Jessie Bates, the Jets needed to make a stand on the goal line, and that they did. The Bengals ran four plays from the 3-yard line, and Quinnen Williams came through with a huge sack on fourth down to give the ball back to the offense. The only reason they were in that situation however, was because of C.J. Mosley flying around, stuffing Joe Mixon as the Bengals tried to punch it in.
The passing defense was decent, not great, but they did do one thing really well: shut down Ja’Marr Chase. Yes, Chase did score a touchdown on a play in which Brandin Echols was isolated outside, but he finished with three receptions for 32 yards, after coming into the game with the third most receiving yards in the NFL. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd were able to provide some production in his place however, and the Bengals were able to move the ball efficiently in the second half.
As mentioned in the Jets-Bengals Preview, the defensive line would need to wake up a little bit this week to give the team a chance. And that they did. They finished with three sacks on the day, as well as an interception by Shaq Lawson to seal the deal. They also shut down Mixon, and he finished with 33 yards on 2.4 yards per carry. Needless to say, after not having Mosley and giving up 54 points last week, they needed him.
Some Questions Moving Forward
As mentioned above, the Jets have a decision ahead of them at their starting quarterback position. Fans will debate on who should be the starter once Wilson comes back, but at the end of the day, it mostly matters how White plays on Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts. If he continues to look as good as he did this week against the Bengals, the coaching staff may seriously need to consider keeping White as the starter.
Does Denzel Mims continue to be active in the coming weeks? Corey Davis was out for this game, but the coaching staff may consider keeping Mims active even when Davis returns. Jeff Smith was also active, so when Davis returns, they could scratch Smith instead.
Finally, can the offensive line continue this level of play? Morgan Moses went down with an injury in the second quarter, and Chuma Edoga was forced to come in and play left tackle. Edoga didn’t look like too much of a liability, but the team might be more confident with Moses playing. If the line can continue to play like they did this week, this team might continue to at least look competitive.
This week had fans feeling ecstatic, and hopefully, the Jets can build off of this confidence-boosting win. They have a short week, as they take on the Colts on Thursday Night Football, so hopefully, that confidence is still present. The Colts will not have as long to study the tape White put out there on Sunday, but they do have a decent defense that will look to shut him down.
This has been the New York Jets Week 8 Review: Cincinnati Bengals.