CINCINNATI (AP) — The winless start for the New York Jets took a toll on Justin Fields. At one point in the runup to Sunday's game in Cincinnati, he found himself laying down in his closet and crying.
Helped by the support of family and friends, Fields got up. Then he rallied his team.
Breece Hall rushed for two second-half touchdowns and threw a 4-yard TD pass to Mason Taylor with 1:54 left, helping Fields and the Jets edge the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38 on Sunday for their first win under coach Aaron Glenn.
“When I was on the field, I was damn near crying,” Fields said. “Not because we won. But just how everything I’ve been through the past week, everything we’ve been through as a team these past seven weeks. Lots of ups and downs.”
Fields was 21 for 32 for 244 yards and a touchdown in his first game since Jets owner Woody Johnson sharply criticized his team's quarterback play during its winless start. Hall finished with 18 carries for 133 yards.
Fields, who got the start after Tyrod Taylor was ruled out on Saturday with a knee injury, brushed off Johnson's comments.
“I get that he’s the owner of the team, but that’s outside noise," he said. “The biggest thing was my teammates believing in me and my coaches believing in me.”
The Jets (1-7), who trailed 31-16 after three quarters, rolled to 502 yards of offense in their highest scoring game of the season, including a season-high 254 on the ground.
“It was amazing to get 0-7 off our back,” defensive end Jermaine Johnson said. "Everybody was ecstatic. Everybody was emotional. The first one is the hardest one. We’re excited to move on from here.”
Joe Flacco passed for two touchdowns and rushed for a 1-yard score, but the Bengals (3-5) lost for the fifth time in six games. Ja’Marr Chase had 12 catches for 91 yards in his third consecutive game with double-digit receptions.
Flacco was 21 for 34 for 223 yards in his third consecutive start since he was acquired in a trade with Cleveland. The 40-year-old quarterback also used his legs to set up Samaje Perine’s 32-yard TD run in the third quarter, scrambling for 13 yards on a third-and-12 play.
“Not acceptable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of the performance. “Humbling for us, certainly.”
Flacco landed on his right shoulder when he was sacked by Will McDonald IV on a third down midway through the fourth. He was checked out before taking the field for the team's final drive.
“Yeah, landed a little awkward. I feel good right now,” Flacco said after the loss.
Chase Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Cincinnati a 38-24 lead with 10:21 left. He also had a 19-yard score on a catch-and-run play late in the first half.
New York’s winning rally began with Hall’s 27-yard TD run with 7:52 left. Fields passed to Isaiah Davis for the 2-point conversion.
After Cincinnati went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, New York marched right down the field again. Hall’s throw to Taylor in the back of the end zone was his first career passing attempt.
“I didn't know if he scored, but I turned and looked at all the Bengals fans — they were just silent staring at me,” Hall said. “I thought, ‘All right, we’re in it now.'”
Hall is the fourth non-quarterback since 1950 to throw a winning touchdown pass in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, joining Washington's Rod Gardner (2003), New York's Curtis Martin (2000) and Minnesota's Paul Krause (1977). Hall's also the first non-quarterback with multiple rushing touchdowns and a TD pass in the fourth quarter of a game.
The Bengals drove to their own 45 on their final possession, but Flacco threw two straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs. The crowd of 65,526 booed lustily as the final seconds ticked off and the Jets began to celebrate.
Playing without receiver Garrett Wilson and top cornerback Sauce Gardner because of injuries, the Jets handed Glenn his first win since the coach was hired in January. He was the first Jets coach to begin his tenure with seven losses. The 53-year-old Glenn was a star cornerback for the team for the first eight seasons of his 15-year NFL playing career.
“These guys, this staff, this team gets criticized so much," Glenn said. “I understand why. We’re 0-7. We brought a lot of it on ourselves. I know we still have a long way to go. I’m going to enjoy this win.”
The Jets also got their first victory of the season on the same weekend that former center Nick Mangold died at age 41 from complications of kidney disease. In a team statement, Johnson called Mangold “a cherished member of our extended Jets family.”
Jets: S Andre Cisco had a shoulder injury. ... LB Kiko Mauigoa was being evaluated for a head injury.
Bengals: DE Trey Hendrickson (right hip) did not return after he hobbled off the field in the final seconds of the first half. He spiked his helmet when he reached the sideline. Hendrickson was questionable coming in because of the hip injury. ... LB Shaka Heyward departed in the first quarter with a left fibula injury. ... OG Dalton Risner was hampered by an illness.
Jets: Have a bye-week break, then home against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 9.
Bengals: Home against the Chicago Bears next Sunday.
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