Another ugly performance on offense highlighted the Jets’ long day in Week 3 as they fall to 1-2 with a 27-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Let’s do a quick recap of what was not a good day for Gang Green.

Quick Hits

• If this was it for Joe Flacco, what a way to go out. Jets fans will be praying all week Zach Wilson will be cleared this week and can play next week against the Steelers.
• The Jets needed to get their pass rush going in this one. This was the week for it to happen, as Joe Burrow entered Week 3 having been sacked 13 times. The Jets got to him just twice and neither sack came from a defensive end (one for Quinnen Williams, one for Sheldon Rankins).
• On the flipside, the Jets once again couldn’t keep a clean pocket for Joe Flacco, as he was sacked four times, led by 2.5 sacks for Trey Hendrickson, who also forced two fumbles.
• The injuries kept coming for the Jets. WR Garrett Wilson was banged up with a rib injury but was able to come back in the second half. The injury we’re watching now, however, is linebacker Quincy Williams, who was carted off with a knee injury. The team put a cast on Williams to immobilize his leg.
• Also on the injury front, George Fant left the game with a knee injury and the lack of depth at the position started to show, Conor McDermott took his place and was the direct beneficiary of a couple of Flacco’s sacks. Duane Brown can’t return soon enough…if he is even able to.
• Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed had another strong game, but you wonder what happened on the touchdown where there seemed to be a communication error between Gardner, Quincy Williams and Lamarcus Joyner (who also had a nice play on the early trick play by the Bengals).
• Hey, at least the Jets seem to have their kicker. Greg Zuerlein has performed well since his Week 1 outing, going 4/4 Sunday and being the only provider of points for the Jets.
• Jordan Whitehead must do better at tackling. That touchdown at the end of the first quarter easily could have been prevented.

Key Stat

7/14: The Jets entered Week 3 as one of the worst defenses on third down, allowing opponents to convert 52% of their third down attempts. That trend continued against the Bengals, as Cincinnati went 7/14 on third down (50%). In fact, all three of Cincinnati’s touchdowns came on third down. The Jets on offense went 7/18 on third down.

Game Balls

Greg Zuerlein: The only person to score for the Jets Sunday as Zuerlein went 4/4 on field goals, all four at least 40 yards and two from 50+.

Sheldon Rankins and Quinnen Williams: The Jets were really hoping to get some positive work from their defensive line this week. They at least did with Rankins and Williams. Both recorded a sack and a tackle for a loss. Rankins also was credited with a quarterback hit while Williams had three.

Top Takeaway

Zach Wilson can’t return soon enough: This offense does have potential. The running game can be there and the receivers can make plays. But when you have a statue for a quarterback, defenses can pin their ears back and just go after him and there isn’t much he can do. That’s Joe Flacco now. At least Zach Wilson can add some layers to this offense with his mobility when he’s fully healthy. The hope for the Jets is he returns next week against the Steelers to give them a chance to be 2-2 heading into their first AFC East game against the Dolphins in Week 5.

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Coming off the emotional victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, the Jets are hoping to ride their newfound momentum into a huge Week 3 showdown with the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals at home. Can the Jets make it two in a row against the Bengals?

The Jets are hoping to have a breakout party with their pass rush against a team and a quarterback in Joe Burrow that has suffered a league-high 13 sacks through two weeks. If there is a matchup where the Jets can take advantage, it is their defensive line against the Bengals’ offensive line that has a right tackle in La’el Collins dealing with back issues but is expected to play and also has a left side of the line that has gotten off to a tough start with left tackle Jonah Williams (ten total pressures allowed, per PFF) and rookie left guard Cordell Volson (seven total pressures). This could be a great day for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.

The other big matchup is obviously the Jets secondary and their strong cornerback duo of D.J. Reed and Sauce Gardner against the trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. This is going to be so fascinating to see how the Jets travel their cornerbacks and how they defend the three receivers. This is also why it will be so important for the Jets’ pass rush to get home and limit the opportunities Chase and company will see Sunday.

Here’s thinking the pass rush will get there, Burrow gets sacked a few times and the Jets start clicking more on offense in what should be the final game with Joe Flacco at quarterback.

Prediction: Jets 24, Bengals 20

The game of football starts and ends in the trenches, right? Well, at least the big boys think so. They do all the work and get almost none of the credit. But if the Jets want to send the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals to an 0-3 start, they’ll need both sides of the line to come up big, especially on defense.

The Jets have talked about pass rush all week. They talked about how they need it to improve and want to see more of it. New York is averaging 1.5 sacks per game this season. That is tied for 23rd in the league through two weeks. Only five teams are averaging less, one of them happens to be New York’s opponent this week, the Bengals, who have just two sacks total this season. The others averaging less are the Dolphins, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals.

But if there’s a week for the Jets to boost that sack total, it’s this week. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has already been sacked 13 times this season (six against Pittsburgh, seven against Dallas). While some of the blame can be put on the offensive line, some of the blame also has to be put on Burrow. He has a tendency thus far to hold on to the ball a bit too long and is almost inviting the sacks himself. According to Pro Football Focus, eight of the 13 sacks have been charged to the offensive line. That should be music to the ears of the Jets’ defensive line, especially former Bengal Carl Lawson.

Ben Solak of The Ringer wrote a great article about not just Burrow taking sacks, but the disconnect in the Bengals.

Not only are the Bengals dealing with offensive line issues on the field, but their starting right tackle, La’el Collins, is perhaps dealing with a setback from the back injury that kept him out for most of training camp. However, the Bengals and head coach Zac Taylor are optimistic Collins will play Sunday.

Either way, the Jets have a chance to take advantage of an offensive line that is still coming together and has a rookie at left guard in Cordell Volson, a matchup that Quinnen Williams should be salivating over. PFF has charged Volson with two sacks allowed and seven total pressures. Only left tackle Jonah Williams (three sacks allowed, ten total pressures) has allowed more.

Williams only has a half-sack through two games but Sunday could be a big day for him in stopping the Bengals attack. It’s a good bet he’ll get at least one on Burrow.

On the flip side, the Bengals have struggled to get to the quarterback. As mentioned before, the Bengals have just two sacks so far, one each from B.J. Hill and Sam Hubbard. The Jets’ offensive line has struggled at times to keep Joe Flacco clean, allowing five sacks through two games. Max Mitchell has been charged with two sacks and one each for George Fant and Max Mitchell. But against Cincinnati, the Jets are facing a front line that hasn’t generated much pressure themselves. Hubbard and D.J. Reader each have seven pressures, per PFF. No other defensive lineman has more than three. In fact, no other Bengal has more than three.

If the Jets’ front four can get finally home and the offensive line figures out a way to clean up their act and keep Flacco upright, the Jets may very well find themselves above .500 for the first time under head coach Robert Saleh.