Glenn noncommittal on Fields as Jets' QB1 despite win

Justin Fields responded exactly the way Aaron Glenn expected, by staring straight at the adversity he faced last week — and, really, the last several weeks — and having one of the best games of his career.

Still, the New York Jets coach isn't committing to Fields as his starting quarterback for when the team returns from its bye-week break. Even after a wild, 39-38 comeback victory, the first of the season, Sunday at Cincinnati.

“I think you know what my answer's going to be on that,” Glenn said Monday when asked if Fields would be the starter against Cleveland on Nov. 9. “This is the bye week and we're going to focus on us. And, listen, I have time to make that decision. Again, that's one of the good things of the bye week.”

Glenn laughed and added: “But seriously, man, this gives us a chance to really just hone in on the good, bad and ugly and try to get those things worked out because we know we have a ways to go.”

A week ago, Glenn deliberated over whether a struggling Fields or veteran Tyrod Taylor would be his starting quarterback. It seemed he would likely go with Taylor, especially after owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized the quarterback play and Fields' inability to consistently make throws. But Taylor was ruled out Saturday with a knee injury, putting Fields back under center.

And he delivered.

Fields, who has yet to throw an interception in seven starts, went 21 of 32 for 244 yards and a touchdown, along with 31 yards on 11 rushes. He also threw a pass and had a run for 2-point conversions.

“I think he played the game exactly like we see him playing for us to win the game," Glenn said. “There are still some things within that game that he knows he has to improve on, and that's going to be every game. We're going to always be critical of ourselves. ...

"But, yeah, he did a really good job for us (Sunday). I thought he managed that game really well.”

Fields was emotional after the game, sharing that he was on the floor of his closet at one point during the week, crying. He said it wasn't really about the stress of the week.

“Football is football," said Fields, who has leaned on his faith, "but it was so much more just about the journey and about how we got to this point and just facing adversity and fighting through adversity.”

Fields certainly has his flaws as a quarterback. But it would seem a tough sell for Glenn to not give him another chance, especially after helping deliver him his first victory as an NFL head coach.

And Fields certainly has the respect of his teammates.

“Back against the wall and that’s what you do, that’s somebody that I want to play with,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said. “And there’s a reason there’s a (captain's) ‘C’ on his chest.”

What's working

The offense. Wait, really? Yep. The much-maligned unit had a breakout performance against the Bengals, rolling up 502 total yards, including 254 on the ground. It was just the 17th time in franchise history the Jets had 500 or more yards of offense and their most since having 511 nearly four years to the day, also against Cincinnati.

“We were very aggressive when it came to running the ball and just showing our brand of football when it comes to running the ball and being physical,” Glenn said. “And then also being aggressive of pushing the ball down the field with Justin, so he can go out and make the plays he needs to make.”

What needs help

Tackling. The defense made two crucial stops at the end of the game to seal the victory, but the Jets' issue of missing tackles popped up again after seeming to get it under control the last few weeks.

According to Next Gen Stats, New York had 16 missed tackles, including three by rookie safety Malachi Moore.

“That had a lot to do with the runs that they scored on and some of the plays those other guys did,” said Glenn, referring to second-half TD runs by Samaje Perine and Chase Brown.

Stock up

RB Breece Hall. Mentioned all season as a possible trade target for other teams, Hall had his best performance of the season by rushing for 133 yards and two TDs on 18 carries, catching two passes for 14 yards and throwing the go-ahead 4-yard TD pass to Mason Taylor.

According to the NFL, he became the first non-quarterback with multiple touchdown runs and a TD pass in the fourth quarter of a game.

Stock down

CB Michael Carter II. Another player with trade potential, Carter has been the Jets' primary slot cornerback but saw his role decrease significantly against Cincinnati. He played on six snaps on defense and was replaced by Jarvis Brownlee Jr. for most of the game as the nickel CB.

Injuries

Rookie LB Kiki Mauigoa is in the concussion protocol, as are CB Sauce Gardner and RB/KR Kene Nwangwu, who missed the game. ... S Andre Cisco has a shoulder injury. ... WR Garrett Wilson missed his second game with a knee injury.

Key number

15 — The Jets rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to win, tying for the fifth-biggest comeback in franchise history.

Next steps

The Jets will get some time to get away for their bye before returning next week to prepare to face the Browns at home.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL