New York Jets fans have waited a long time for the sweet taste of victory and that wait was rewarded last Sunday with a 39-38 victory in Cincinnati over the Bengals. 

The Jets faced deficits of 17-3, 24-10, 31-16 and 38-24 during that game, but walked out of Paycor Stadium with Aaron Glenn’s first win as Head Coach. 

That win on Sunday was also the first time the Jets have won in Cincinnati since that 2009 wild card game where Shonn Greene rushed for 135 yards and a TD and Chad Johnson took a short visit to Revis Island. 

The victory was propelled by an offensive explosion which saw the Jets outscore their opponents 23-7 in the fourth quarter. Finishing strong is a trait associated with good football teams, and if we can maintain that trait then more wins will surely follow. 

After several down weeks for Tanner Engstrand and his unit, the Jets put on an offensive clinic:

• 39 points, including 23 in the fourth quarter
• 502 total yards
• 248 passing yards
• 254 rushing yards
• 9 conversions of either third or fourth down
• 7.2 yards a play
• 0 penalties
• 0 interceptions
• 0 fumbles
• 0 sacks
• One memorable afternoon for Jets fans. 

Just like the Mike White game of Halloween past, this may be remembered as the Breece Hall game. The Jets RB played a hand in three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and became just the fourth RB since 1950 to throw a game-winning TD in the final two minutes. Legendary Jets RB Curtis Martin did it back in 2000, which means the Jets are responsible for 50% of those unique plays. 

Hall also became the first non-QB since 1950 to have two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the fourth quarter. In fact, he became just the third non-QB since 1950 to have two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in any quarter. 

Hall became the first RB since Ronnie Brown in 2008 to have two rushing and one passing touchdown in the same game. It also represented Hall’s 16th career game with 100+ scrimmage yards, which ties Laveranues Coles for the third-most such games by a Jet, only Thomas Jones (21) and Curtis Martin (48) have had more. 

The Jets scored 35 points and had over 500 total yards for the first time in a game since the year 2021 and that fourth quarter deficit that they faced was the second largest that the team have ever overturned to win. It was also the first time this season and the first time since 2023 that the Jets hadn’t allowed a single sack in a game. The game marked Joe Tippmann’s 35th consecutive start, the longest such streak for a Jets offensive lineman since Kelvin Beachum notched 37 consecutive starts between 2017-19.

The Jets 502 yards of total offense are the fourth-most and their 254 rushing yards are the second-most by any team in a game this season.

When you put all of these stats together, you realise just how unique that performance was, and now Aaron Glenn and Tanner Engstrand will be looking to build on that success over the coming weeks, with the Browns coming up straight after the bye week.

When the Jets take the field against Cleveland they’ll have a new face at receiver. Late on Wednesday night it was announced that the Jets had traded CB Michael Carter II to the Philadelphia Eagles for WR John Metchie III. A former Alabama standout who has overcome considerable adversity to get to the league, which included a battle with cancer which forced him to miss his entire rookie season. 

The talent possessed by Metchie III is unquestionable. He played for a Nick Saban team that made winning look easy. In his final year at Alabama he caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and 8 touchdowns while bringing in 61.1% of his contested catches. With Metchie III signed through the 2026 season, this move gives the Jets plenty of time to get him up to speed and evaluate whether he could be part of the solution to the playoff drought puzzle. 

Expectations for this Jets offence has risen considerably after the outburst against the Bengals and providing Justin Fields with another weapon is never a bad idea. Metchie will join star receiver Garrett Wilson, alongside rookie receiving options Mason Taylor and Arian Smith. He’ll also have the veteran presence of Josh Reynolds to lean upon. If the Jets want to consistently hit the dizzying heights of 30+ points and 400+ total yards they’ll need contributions up and down the lineup.