Adhering to the franchise’s longstanding tradition of disappointing its fans, the Jets came crashing down to Earth in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Riding the high of three straight wins, a matchup against the 0-11 Bengals gave New York a golden opportunity to extend its streak after weeks of encouraging play. Instead, the lifeless Jets lost on the road, 22-6. Andy Dalton feasted on an inexperienced secondary, Adam Gase’s offense sputtered and Gregg Williams’ defense ended its run of sturdy play.

The Jets looked as if they expected to walk all over the lowly Bengals. Instead, they lost their second game this season to a previously winless team.

Game Balls:

• Let’s just skip this section this week…

Quick Thoughts:

• If you’re going to be incompetent, make history while doing so. According to YES Network statistician James Smyth, the Jets became the first team in NFL history to give two teams that began the season 0-7 or worse their first wins of the season. The Bengals became the second team to pick up their first victory after the then-0-7 Dolphins beat New York in Miami, 26-18, in Week 9. If there was ever a record for the Jets to own, this is it.
• The Jets defense had been clicking during the win streak, but a refreshed Dalton didn’t show any rust against Gang Green. With the Jets tallying just one sack and two QB hits against a bad offensive line, the quarterback picked on New York’s cornerbacks. New York’s pass-rushing and coverage had been strong in recent weeks, but that wasn’t the case in Cincinnati. Jamal Adams, meanwhile, had just one tackle.
• As for Dalton’s counterpart, there wasn’t much Sam Darnold could do in this one. His offensive line crumbled like it did earlier in the season — to the point where Darnold got hurt — and his receivers dropped touchdowns and first downs. Darnold’s coach didn’t exactly have a gameplan that fit the opponent, either…
• The Bengals came into this game with the worst run defense in the NFL. One would have thought Adam Gase would have made a note of that while he was skipping Thanksgiving dinner, but the Jets’ gameplan didn’t reflect the Bengals’ weakness one bit. New York ran by design just nine times in the first half and 17 times overall. Le’Veon Bell had just 10 carries. That’s inexplicable.
• Penalties hurt the Jets repeatedly on Sunday, none more so than Kelvin Beachum’s holding call in the end zone that resulted in a safety. The Bengals squandered opportunities of their own, but it didn’t matter with New York giving away free yards and points.
• This was a typical loss for a typical Jets team. It doesn’t matter the personnel in place — New York has always lost games like this, especially when trending in the right direction and building up excitement. There was hope that this particular group of people wouldn’t succumb to the Same Old Jets scenario that unfolded Sunday, but this franchise is the ultimate tease. Frankly, anyone who expected the Jets to win should have known better.