New York Jets VS Bengals Match Player Stats: The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
There are football games. Then there are those that stick in your memory for years.
October 26, 2025 was the second kind.
A 0-7 team. A quarterback publicly humiliated by his own team’s owner. A deficit of 15 points entering the fourth quarter. And a running back who decided — in the biggest moment of the game — to throw a touchdown pass.
The New York Jets beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39–38 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Additionally, you missed something unique if you weren’t watching.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
| Date | Sunday, October 26, 2025 |
| Venue | Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Final Score | New York Jets 39 – Cincinnati Bengals 38 |
| Broadcast | CBS / Paramount+ |
| Jets Record After Game | 1–7 (AFC East) |
| Bengals Record After Game | 3–5 (AFC North) |
| Jets Head Coach | Aaron Glenn |
| Jets QB | Justin Fields (started for injured Tyrod Taylor) |
| Bengals QB | Joe Flacco |
| Jets Top Rusher | Breece Hall – 18 carries, 133 yards, 2 TDs |
| Bengals Top Rusher | Samaje Perine – 9 carries, 94 yards, 1 TD |
| Jets Total Offense | 502 yards |
| Bengals Total Offense | 398 yards |
| Key Moment | Breece Hall trick-play TD pass to Mason Taylor, 1:54 remaining |
| Score at End of Q3 | Bengals 31 – Jets 16 |
The Setup: A Team in Crisis
Before a single snap was played, this game already had a storyline heavier than most.
The Jets had lost their first seven games of the 2025 season. Every single one. They were one loss away from historic territory — the same territory occupied by the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2008 Detroit Lions, and the 2017 Cleveland Browns. Teams are remembered only for how badly they failed.
Making things worse, Jets owner Woody Johnson had gone public with sharp criticism of his team’s quarterback play.He didn’t say it in private. He said it out loud, for everyone to hear.
Justin Fields was that quarterback.
Then, on the Saturday before the game, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was ruled out with a knee injury. Fields would have to start — against a Bengals team that entered the week as massive favorites.
Justin Fields: The Man Behind the Mask
Before we get into the numbers, you need to know what Fields was carrying into this game.
He had spent the week before lying on his closet floor, crying. His own words. The public criticism, the losses, the weight of a broken season — it had gotten to him in the most human way possible.
But something shifted.
His family reached out. His teammates reached out. And when Sunday came, Fields walked onto that field at Paycor Stadium and played the most important game of his 2025 season.
He finished 21 of 32 passing for 244 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. His passer rating landed at 99.0. He also scrambled five times, picking up valuable yards with his legs when the pocket closed down around him.
Most importantly — he was not sacked a single time. Zero sacks. On a day when the offensive line had every reason to fall apart, they protected him perfectly.
The First Three Quarters: Cincinnati Takes Control
The Bengals came out like a team that knew exactly what they had in front of them — a wounded Jets squad missing two of their best players in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Joe Flacco opened the scoring with a sneaky 1-yard quarterback sneak for a rushing touchdown in the first quarter. Evan McPherson added a 26-yard field goal. Cincinnati led 10–0 after the first.
The second quarter was even uglier for New York. Flacco connected with Tee Higgins on a 44-yard touchdown pass — a gorgeous throw that Higgins pulled in with ease. Then Flacco hit running back Chase Brown for a 19-yard score. The Bengals were rolling.
Nick Folk answered with a 46-yard field goal for the Jets — the longest of his three makes on the day. Then Fields found wide receiver Tyler Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 17–10 at the half.
But Folk’s 25-yard field goal as time expired made it 24–13 going into the locker room.
The third quarter belonged to Cincinnati again. Samaje Perine broke loose for a stunning 32-yard rushing touchdown, his longest score of the season. Folk chipped in two more short field goals for New York, but the Jets couldn’t find the end zone.
After three quarters: Bengals 31, Jets 16.
Fifteen points down. One quarter left. Most teams would have quit mentally.
The Fourth Quarter: Everything Changed
Here’s where this game earned its place in memory.
Breece Hall scored first — a 5-yard bulldozing run up the middle. Then Fields took off on a designed run for a two-point conversion. Bengals 31, Jets 24.
The Bengals answered right back. Chase Brown ran it in from 1 yard out. Cincinnati led 38–24 with just over eight minutes left.
It felt finished. It wasn’t.
Hall found another gear. He broke loose for a 27-yard touchdown run — spinning off tacklers, staying in bounds along the sideline, refusing to go down. The Jets went for two again. Isaiah Davis caught the pass, stretched across the goal line, and the officials reviewed it. After replay: two points confirmed. Bengals 38, Jets 32.
One possession down. Six minutes left.
The Jets needed a stop, and they got it. Defensive end Will McDonald IV came off the edge and sacked Joe Flacco on a crucial third-and-10. The Bengals punted.
Now the Jets had the ball, down by six, with time running out.
Nine plays. Methodical. Physical. The Jets moved the ball down the field mostly on the ground. Then, with 1:54 remaining on the clock, the play happened.
The Play That Won the Game
Breece Hall took a handoff. Then he stopped. He set his feet. He threw.
A tight spiral floated across the middle of the end zone and landed in the hands of tight end Mason Taylor. Four yards. Touchdown.
Running back throwing a game-winning touchdown pass. With under two minutes left. Down by six points. After being 0 and 7 on the season.
Nick Folk added the extra point. Jets 39, Bengals 38.
The Bengals got the ball back with all three timeouts and 1:54 remaining. Joe Flacco tried twice to find wide receiver Andre Iosivas on third-and-9 and fourth-and-9. Both fell incomplete. Turnover on downs. Game over.
Full Player Stats Breakdown
Passing
Justin Fields (NYJ)
- Completions/Attempts: 21/32
- Passing Yards: 244
- Touchdowns: 1
- Interceptions: 0
- Passer Rating: 99.0
- Sacks Taken: 0
- Scrambles: 5
Joe Flacco (CIN)
- Completions/Attempts: 21/34
- Passing Yards: 223
- Touchdowns: 2
- Interceptions: 0
- Passer Rating: 100.5
- Sacks Taken: 1 (McDonald IV)
Rushing
Breece Hall (NYJ)
- Carries: 18
- Yards: 133
- Average: 7.4 yards per carry
- Touchdowns: 2 (rushing) + 1 trick-play TD pass
- Longest Run: 27 yards (TD)
Justin Fields (NYJ — scrambles)
- Rushing Yards from scrambles: 31
- Touchdowns: 1 (two-point conversion run)
Samaje Perine (CIN)
- Carries: 9
- Yards: 94
- Average: 10.4 yards per carry
- Touchdowns: 1 (32-yard score)
- Longest Run: 32 yards
Chase Brown (CIN)
- Carries: included in team’s 181 rushing yards
- Touchdowns: 1 (1-yard score)
Receiving
Tyler Johnson (NYJ)
- Receptions: 3 (on 5 targets)
- Yards: 64
- Average: 21.3 yards per catch
- Touchdowns: 1
Mason Taylor (NYJ)
- Key catch: 4-yard game-winning TD reception from Breece Hall
Tee Higgins (CIN)
- Receptions: 1 (on 2 targets)
- Yards: 44
- Touchdowns: 1 (44-yard catch — longest of the game)
Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)
- Receptions: 12
- Yards: 91
- Targets: high (Chase was Flacco’s primary safety valve all afternoon)
- Also passed Eddie Brown for 6th place on the Bengals’ all-time receiving yards list with 6,138 career yards
Kicking
Nick Folk (NYJ)
- Field Goal Attempts: 3
- Field Goals Made: 3 (100%)
- Distances: 46, 25, 24 yards
- Extra Points: 1
Evan McPherson (CIN)
- Field Goal Attempts: 1
- Made: 1 (26 yards)
- Extra Points: 4
Defense Highlights
Will McDonald IV (NYJ)
- Recorded the Jets’ only sack of the game on a pivotal third-and-10 in the fourth quarter — directly setting up the game-winning drive
NYJ Defense overall:
- Tackles: 27
- Assists: 26
- Sacks: 1
- Passes Defended: 7
- Three-and-outs forced: 3
CIN Defense overall:
- Tackles: 38
- Assists: 33
- Passes Defended: 4
- Missed Tackles: 3 in the fourth quarter that proved costly
Team Stats Side by Side
| Stat | Jets (NYJ) | Bengals (CIN) |
| Total Yards | 502 | 398 |
| Rushing Yards | 254 | 181 |
| Passing Yards | 248 | 223 |
| Plays Run | 70 | 58 |
| Avg. Yards/Play | 7.2 | 6.9 |
| Time of Possession | 33:40 | 26:20 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 4 (25 yds) | 2 (15 yds) |
| First Downs | 25 | 24 |
| Sacks Allowed | 0 | 1 |
The Jets controlled the ball for over 7 more minutes than Cincinnati. They ran 12 more plays. They gained 104 more total yards. On paper, the Jets were the better team in this game. The scoreboard just took three-and-a-half quarters to agree.
The Bigger Context: What This Win Meant
The Jets came in 0–7. They were playing without Garrett Wilson — their best wide receiver. They were without Sauce Gardner — one of the best cornerbacks in football. Their starting quarterback had been sidelined by injury.
And their backup quarterback had been publicly embarrassed by the man who signs the checks.
Justin Fields didn’t just win a football game. He answered something. He showed up, played clean football (zero turnovers, zero sacks taken), and led a 23-point fourth-quarter comeback.
Aaron Glenn, the first-year head coach, called it “the first one” — reminding his players that the hardest win of any season is always the first.
Nick Mangold, the beloved former Jets center, had passed away at just 41 years old the same day. Glenn honored him postgame, calling Mangold “the heart and soul of this team.” The win carried extra emotional weight because of that loss.
What Went Wrong for the Bengals
Cincinnati entered this game at 3–4 and desperately needed a win. They had it. For three full quarters, they completely controlled the game.
Joe Flacco played a solid game. He threw for 223 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. The ground game was clicking too — Samaje Perine and Chase Brown combined for five total touchdowns between rushing and receiving scores.
But the fourth quarter defense collapsed at the worst possible time. Three straight touchdown drives allowed. Three missed tackles on crucial plays. And when they needed one stop to seal it, Flacco couldn’t deliver two completions in a row.
The Bengals fell to 3–5. Their playoff hopes took a serious hit, losing to the league’s worst team.
Final Words
This was not a pretty game. It was not a well-executed masterpiece of NFL football. For most of the afternoon, it was sloppy, emotional, and hard to watch if you were a Jets fan.
But that final quarter — that electric, impossible fourth quarter — was everything that makes football worth watching.
A running back threw the winning touchdown. A quarterback who’d been crying in his closet the week before threw for 244 yards without a single turnover. A team that had lost seven straight in a row found something inside themselves that couldn’t be measured in any stat box.
The Jets won 39–38. And every single yard, every single number in this box score, was earned the hard way.
FAQs
1. What was the outcome of the October 26, 2025, Jets vs. Bengals game?
The New York Jets won 39–38. It was the Jets’ first victory of the entire 2025 season after starting 0–7.
2. How did the Jets come back from 15 points down?
In the fourth quarter, they scored three consecutive touchdowns. With 1:54 left in the game, tight end Mason Taylor received the game-winning touchdown throw from Breece Hall, who also had two rushing touchdowns.
3. Who was the Jets’ quarterback in this game?
Justin Fields. He started because Tyrod Taylor was ruled out Saturday with a knee injury. Fields went 21 of 32 for 244 yards, one TD, and zero picks.
4. How did Breece Hall perform?
Hall was the engine of the comeback. He rushed 18 times for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns, then threw the go-ahead 4-yard TD pass to Mason Taylor. It was the best game of his 2025 season up to that point.
5. Who was Cincinnati’s starting quarterback?
Joe Flacco. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 223 yards with 2 touchdowns and a 100.5 passer rating. His final drives came up short when the Bengals needed them most.
6. What did Tee Higgins do in this game?
Higgins caught 1 pass for 44 yards and a touchdown. It was the longest reception of the game. He was a factor but was kept largely quiet by the Jets secondary.
7. What happened to Ja’Marr Chase?
Chase was excellent with 12 receptions for 91 yards and also passed Eddie Brown to become 6th on the Bengals’ all-time receiving yards list with 6,138 career yards.
8. Did the Jets play without any key starters?
Yes. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner both missed the game with injuries. Making the win even more remarkable.
9. Who made the big defensive play to set up the winning drive?
Defensive end Will McDonald IV sacked Joe Flacco on a third-and-10 with under 4 minutes remaining. That stop forced a Cincinnati punt and gave the Jets the ball back for their final game-winning drive.
10. Was Woody Johnson’s public criticism of Fields mentioned after the game?
Yes. Fields addressed it directly, saying it was “outside noise” and that what mattered was his teammates and coaches believing in him.
11. How did the Jets’ rushing game perform overall?
Remarkably well. New York ran for 254 total yards — their highest rushing total of the season — averaging 6.9 yards per rush attempt. Breece Hall led the way but Fields’ scrambles added important yardage too.
12. What was the score at halftime?
Bengals 24, Jets 13. Cincinnati led from start to finish — until the fourth quarter flipped everything.
13. How did the Bengals’ kicker Evan McPherson perform?
McPherson converted his only field goal attempt (26 yards) and hit 4 of 4 extra points. He never got a chance to attempt a game-winning field goal at the end.
14. What significance did this game have beyond football?
Former Jets All-Pro center Nick Mangold passed away at age 41 on the same day. Coach Aaron Glenn honored him in postgame remarks, and several players dedicated the win to his memory.
15. What did this win do for the Jets’ season record?
It moved them to 1–7 on the season — still last in the AFC East. But it ended the nightmare of a potential 0–17 run and gave the team and coaching staff something real to build from.
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