The New York Jets have won a football game! Following their brutal start to the season, dropping their first seven games, the Jets traveled to Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. With Tyrod Taylor down and out, the game rested on the shoulders of quarterback Justin Fields. On a week when the owner of the Jets criticized Fields, Fields led the Jets to their first victory of the season, defeating the Bengals in a nail-biter, 39-38.
With the Jets now improving to 1-7 on the season, Fields can breathe somewhat of a sigh of relief. The Jets fell 10-0 in the first quarter, and fans thought the game was all but over. However, the Jets were able to get on the scoreboard entering the half down by 11, 24-13. The Jets remained down by 15 as they entered the fourth. This was an all too familiar story for fans, but this time it had a different ending. The Jets scored three times in the fourth quarter, off two Breece Hall rushes and a game-winning pass from Hall (yes, you read that right) to Taylor for the win. So, who led the Jets to victory in this Week 8 win over Cincinnati?
3. Will McDonald, EDGE
Entering the game, Will McDonald knew he had to have a good showing if he hoped to keep being regarded as one of the Jets’ best defenders on the season. He has had a rather quiet season so far, as has the whole team. McDonald came into this game, having just three tackles in last week’s game against the Panthers, and not playing a huge role. However, McDonald was out to prove something against the Bengals, and he did just that in one of the biggest moments of the game.
With the game still very much in limbo, the Jets trailed and were fighting hard to get the ball back. On 3rd and 10, Cincinnati needed a first down to essentially put the game away and run out the clock. McDonald was able to find Joe Flacco for the sack and took him down to force the Bengals to punt the ball to the Jets. The Jets would go on to score a touchdown and win the game. Without McDonald’s crucial third-down sack, none of this would have been possible.
This play stands out as a turning point. It was a huge momentum shift while the Jets were down 38-32 late in the game. McDonald has shown a ton of potential and growth as an edge rusher entering the 2025 season. While he was a bit of a headscratcher when the Jets drafted him in 2023 in the first round, it’s safe to say that the Jets found another diamond in the rough for their defense. Even though offensive stats dominate headlines, what McDonald did was critical, and he deserves a lot of credit for this win.
2. Breece Hall, RB
What a day for Breece Hall! The Jets running back entered the game looking to try and get hot. The last time he had over 100 yards on the ground came all the way back in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. The following weeks, Hall had some games he’d like to forget picking up just 59 yards against Denver and only 38 yards on the ground last week against the Carolina Panthers. However, with his performance in Week 8, it’s safe to say Hall can breathe a sigh of relief.
Hall finished the game rushing for a whopping 133 yards on 18 carries. Hall even picked up two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Hall also picked up 14 receiving yards on two receptions. In the very beginning of the fourth quarter, Hall ran for a five-yard touchdown, his first of the day. Earlier in that same drive, Hall broke free for a 35-yard rush, his long of the day, getting the Jets to within 15 yards of the endzone. Safe to say Hall had a great game on the ground.
However, arguably Hall’s biggest play didn’t come on the ground or through the air. With under two minutes remaining, the Jets were four yards away from tying up the game. The Jets dug deep down into their bag of tricks and had Hall make a pass of his own, finding Mason Taylor for the touchdown, giving the Jets the 1-point lead after the PAT. Not only did Hall have a great game in the rushing department, but we also saw him contribute in massive ways to the team in the passing department, as well.
1. Justin Fields, QB
If you would have told me one week ago that Justin Fields would make this list a week later, I would have called you crazy. Fields has had an abysmal season so far, and outside of Week 1, has been more of a problem than a solution to this Jets team. However, Fields had the best game of this Jets career, so far, in Week 8 against the Bengals and it’s not close. Fields finished the game with 244 yards through the air, connecting on 21 of his 32 pass attempts. He received his highest rating of the season, with 99.0 and finished with 31 yards on 11 carries.
This was the first game that I can honestly say that Fields looked like a field general. Late in the second quarter, Fields found Tyler Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown, his only passing touchdown of the game. However, with Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds out, Fields made the most of his receivers. Mason Taylor, Isaiah Davis, and Tyler Johnson seemed to be his favorite targets of the day, and he found some serious success with each of them.
On the final scoring drive of the game for the Jets, Fields looked as composed as any other quarterback in the league. He was competing passes and keeping the drive alive all the way until the end. Fields even picked up a crucial 3rd-and-1 on his own. This was a game where the offense was working perfectly. Fields was throwing the ball very well, Hall was running the ball very well, and everything seemed to be clicking. This was what fans were expecting after Week 1. While it’s been a while, better late than never for this team to start performing well.
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