The Cincinnati Bengals were riding high into this game, fresh off a 41-17 dismantling of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. This 34-31 loss at the hands of the New York Jets halted all of that momentum.
Backup quarterback Mike White became the first Jets quarterback this season to clear the 300-yard mark, and he did it in style by putting up over 400 passing yards in his first career start.
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CINCINNATI BENGALS
Quarterback
Joe Burrow wasn’t able to deliver the Bengals a victory with the game on the line in the fourth quarter.
He averaged 8.3 passing yards per attempt with a 123.7 passer rating in the first three quarters. Those numbers dropped to 6.4 yards per attempt and a 63.5 passer rating in the fourth quarter, including an interception that put the Jets in position to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Running back
Joe Mixon wasn’t given much of a chance as a runner in this game with 4 rushing yards before contact in the game. He finished with 33 yards total on 14 carries.
Mixon was able to contribute in the passing game with four receptions for 58 yards. Two of those receptions came on contested targets.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
It was a balanced attack for the Bengals passing attack. Each of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins received at least six targets. And for once, it was Higgins and Boyd who made the most of their targets rather than Chase.
| Player | Routes | Targets | Rec. Yards |
| Ja’Marr Chase | 37 | 7 | 32 |
| Tyler Boyd | 31 | 7 | 69 |
| Tee Higgins | 33 | 6 | 97 |
Offensive Line
The Jets were not able to get much of any pressure off the edge against Cincinnati’s tackle tandem of Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff. Williams wasn’t charged with a pressure allowed in 38 pass-blocking snaps on initial review, and Reiff was charged with just one (a sack).
The interior didn’t hold up quite as well, and the offensive line created little push on the ground (0.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt).
Defensive Line
It was a balanced effort from Cincinnati’s defensive line in the pass-rushing department. Trey Hendrickson, Larry Ogunjobi, D.J. Reader and Sam Hubbard each recorded between three and four pressures, per PFF’s initial review.
Linebacker
The underneath passes from New York put a lot of pressure on Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt to make plays in coverage. They didn’t make those plays. Wilson and Pratt combined to allow over 200 yards into their coverage, per PFF’s first-run analysis.
Defensive Backs
White didn’t test Cincinnati’s secondary nearly as much as the underneath coverage defenders. Safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell should be the Bengals’ two highest-graded coverage defenders after final review. Both were responsible for turnovers.
New York Jets
Quarterback
White rode a heavy dose of short, quick releases to success in this game. He averaged over 9.0 yards per attempt in the game, but he finished with a 4.1-yard average depth of target with a sub-2.0 second average time to throw.
White did have success the few times he did push the ball 10 or more yards downfield. He went 7-of-8 for 94 yards and two touchdowns on those throws.
Running back
Michael Carter has taken over as the clear lead back for the Jets, playing on 70% of the Jets offensive snaps in this game.
| Player | Snaps | Carries | Targets |
| Michael Carter | 59 | 15 | 13 |
| Ty Johnson | 24 | 4 | 6 |
He has been the beneficiary of the Jets quarterbacks checking the ball down in recent weeks. Carter turned his team-high 13 targets in the game into nine receptions for 95 yards, though he did have two dropped passes.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The low-aDOT approach from White and Johnson favored Jamison Crowder in the slot. His nine targets, eight receptions and 84 receiving yards led all Jets wide receivers and tight ends.
KEELAN COLE. THIS CATCH. #TakeFlight
????: #CINvsNYJ on CBS
????: NFL app pic.twitter.com/B6e1XaE6x1— NFL (@NFL) October 31, 2021
Keelan Cole nearly came down with the catch of the game in the end zone, but it ended up being overturned after review.
Offensive Line
The Jets offensive line was helped out in pass protection by White’s quick release all afternoon, allowing just nine pressures on 51 dropbacks (pending review). New York also averaged 1.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt. It was just their second game this season averaging over 1.0 yard before contact per rush.
Defensive Line
New York ended the game with three sacks, but they weren’t consistently making Burrow uncomfortable with pressure. Those three pressures made up half of the Jets’ six pressures in the game, pending review.
Quinnen Williams was the team’s best defensive lineman, producing a sack on Burrow and making his impact felt in the run game.
Linebacker
C.J. Mosley delivered one of his better performances in coverage this season. He was targeted six times in coverage per PFF’s initial review, and he produced a coverage stop on half of those targets. He allowed 34 passing yards into his coverage in the game.
Defensive Backs
Ashtyn Davis was the target for Burrow and Cincinnati’s offense in this game. Per PFF’s first-run analysis, Davis was targeted five times as the primary coverage defender. Those five targets turned into five receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Bryce Hall came through with the only two forced incompletions of the game for New York’s secondary.
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