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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL at IND | CAR at TB | CHI at ATL | CIN at NYJ | DAL at ARI | DET at MIN | GB at SEA | JAX at DEN |
| MIA at HOU | NE at SD | NYG at CLE | OAK at NO | PHI at SF | STL at WAS | ||
Week 6 Game Recap: Cincinnati Bengals 14, New York Jets 26
What you need to know
| Cincinnati Bengals |
The Bengals made their second visit to the Meadowlands this year and were still in search of their first victory. They were playing without their starting signal caller as Carson Palmer's elbow gave way for Ryan Fitzpatrick to make his second start of the year, a start that had its fair share of ups and downs. Fitzpatrick completed 20 of 33 passes on the day as he totaled 152 in the losing effort, failing to find the end zone through the air.
The day was just as difficult for the Bengals on the ground, as Fitzpatrick, their quarterback, was also their leading rusher. He carried six times for only 23 yards and was the only Bengals player to score an offensive touchdown. The real workhorse duo was Chris Perry and Cedric Benson who were able to combine for 20 yards on 15 rushes, often gaining negative yards as they were met quickly in the backfield.
Through the air, Cincinnati had some success as they had two receivers over forty yards and five catches. Chad Johnson led the way as he hauled in five balls for 57 yards while TJ Houshmandzadeh added seven catches of his own for 49 yards. They often faced third and long situations and continuously found themselves making catches three to four yards short of the first down markers.
| New York Jets |
The Jets looked to gain more momentum coming off their bye week as they hosted the Bengals in very winnable conference matchup. Brett Favre and company did not disappoint as they efficiently rolled up 252 yards of offense in an impressive 12 point victory.
The Jets used running back Thomas Jones extensively against the Bengals and was a huge factor, as he found the end zone on three separate occasions, setting the tone with his first score and never looking back. After Jones' first two touchdowns the Jets led 17-14 and were headed into the locker room for halftime. The second 30 minutes was more of the same as the Jets pitched a second half shutout and iced the game on Jones' third touchdown of the day.
Through the air, Favre and his cast of receivers found more of the same success as previous weeks, connecting once through the air for a score and picking apart a very outmatched Bengals secondary in the process. Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles each had eight receptions in the win as they were the primary targets for Brett Favre, often making big gains after the catch.
What you ought to know
| QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Pass: 20 - 33 - 152 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 6 - 23 - 1, Rec: 1 - -3 - 0 |
Fitzpatrick made his second start of the season and struggled through most of the first half. Out of their five total possessions in the first half, Fitzpatrick only managed a first down on one of them, the final drive of the second quarter. It was this drive where he took the Bengal's down the field in 14 plays and scored on a quarterback sneak. He managed not to throw an interception, however was sacked five times in total, fumbling once.
| RB Chris Perry, Rush: 11 - 14 - 0, Rec: 2 - 2 - 0 (7 targets) |
Perry had a lackluster performance on the ground as he was unable to find daylight for most of the game. He averaged just around one yard per carry and was only able to turn his seven targets into two receptions.
| RB Cedric Benson, Rush: 4 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) |
Benson did not fair well on the ground as he only gained six yards on four carries. He saw one target come his way which fell incomplete.
| WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Rec: 7 - 49 - 0 (8 targets) |
Houshmandzadeh was the most targeted Bengals receiver as he saw eight looks his way and was able to bring in seven of them for 49 yards. He was a consistent target when the Bengals crept into the red zone and was stopped short of the goal line on Cincinnati's first scoring drive. Like Johnson, Houshmandzadeh did not get much of an opportunity for a big play downfield.
| WR Chad Johnson, Rec: 5 - 57 - 0 (6 targets) |
Johnson was targeted a total of six times on the day as he caught five of those targets for 57 total yards. He worked some surprising short routes due to the lack of time that Fitzpatrick had in the pocket and was rewarded with a plethora of quick hitting passes to move the chains in the second half.
| WR Chris Henry, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) |
Henry, serving as the third receiving option, saw four balls come his way as he was only able to record one catch for 13 yards. He was targeted in the end zone once; however the pass fell incomplete as he was unable to keep his feet in while securing the ball.
| TE Ben Utecht, Rec: 4 - 34 - 0 (6 targets) |
Utecht was used more extensively than previous games as he caught four balls for 32 yards. He was a clear last option however was able to find some space underneath, as he provided his young quarterback with a reliable outlet when his primary targets were covered.
| PK Dave Rayner 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points |
Rayner had no field goal opportunities and connected on his only two PAT attempts.
| CIN Rush Defense |
The Bengals rush defense was actually stout for most of the day as they held Jones and company in check. Jones failed to eclipse the 70 yard plateau however was successful at finding the end zone twice on the ground. They did not allow many big runs against New York however could not come up with the big stop when needed as they allowed the Jets to control the clock and the line of scrimmage.
| CIN Pass Defense |
The Bengals pass defense gave up its fair share of big plays but to their credit, they also were opportunistic, picking off two potential Brett Favre touchdown passes and returning a fumble for a touchdown on the Jets opening drive of the game. They allowed less than 200 yards through the air, and gave up only one touchdown pass, which came on a quick dump pass in the flat to Thomas Jones. Had it not been for their two interceptions deep in Bengals territory, this game would have quickly gotten out of hand.
| QB Brett Favre, Pass: 25 - 33 - 189 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0 |
Favre had a very efficient day as he completed all but eight passes for 189 yards and a score. Although quiet, Favre did a great job of moving the chains and keeping the offense on the field. His one touchdown pass came early in the game as a play fake brought the defense in, allowing Favre to hit Thomas Jones in the flat for the score. Favre had his mind on the end zone twice more in the contest; however both passes were off the mark and resulted in two Bengal interceptions.
| RB Thomas Jones, Rush: 17 - 65 - 2, Rec: 3 - 13 - 1 (3 targets) |
Jones was definitely the focal point of the offense against an outmatched Bengal defense as he had 20 touches, finding the end zone three times in total. Jones scored twice out on the ground as he was able to gain 65 yards on 17 carries, running hard and downhill with purpose. His other touchdown came on one of his three receptions as he took a quick pass out of the flat for the score.
| RB Leon Washington, Rush: 5 - 7 - 0, Rec: 4 - 22 - 0 (5 targets) |
Washington played a complementary role and used his speed and vision catching passes out of the backfield. He caught four of his five targets and was a vital part in moving the chains and keeping the offense moving downfield.
| WR Laveranues Coles, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 8 - 61 - 0 (12 targets) |
Coles had a team high 12 targets and managed to haul in eight catches for 61 yards. He has become consistently in sync with Favre as the season has progressed and is getting many looks his way. His routes against the Bengals were mostly underneath where he used his size and quickness to elude tacklers, getting positive yards after the catch.
| WR Jerricho Cotchery, Rec: 8 - 85 - 0 (11 targets) |
Cotchery saw 11 targets on the day and turned out another good game as he caught eight balls for 85 yards. He caught shorter routes most of the time and turned out some big gains as he ran hard after the catch. One of his missed opportunities came on Favre's first interception as Cotchery was open down the sideline, only to see the ball under thrown for an interception.
| WR Chansi Stuckey, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0 (1 targets) |
Stuckey had one target on the day which fell incomplete.
| TE Chris Baker, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) |
Baker saw one target on the day as he managed to come down with the catch for a six yard gain.
| TE Bubba Franks (1 targets) |
Franks' only target was on Favres' second interception of the game as the pass fell short and into the hands of a Cincinnati defender.
| PK Jay Feely 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Feely hit both of his field goal attempts and was perfect on his PAT tries.
| NYJ Rush Defense |
The Jets rush defense was stout all day and allowed no room to run both inside and outside of the tackles. They gave up a little over one yard per carry and forced the Bengal's into third down and long passing situations. It was obvious with Palmer on the sidelines, that New York was going to put an extra defender in the box and make Fitzpatrick win the game with his arm, which he was unable to do.
| NYJ Pass Defense |
The Jets pass defense benefited from obvious passing situations as they defended third and long on the first four Cincinnati drives. It was not until the fifth drive of the game, last of the first half that the Jets allowed their first first down. They put pressure in the face of Fitzpatrick, bringing him down five times in total and forcing a fumble. They missed on a couple more big plays later in the game as they pitched a shutout in the second half of what was a convincing Jets win.
