OFFENSE
Inept, incompetent, incapable of moving the ball. That about sums it up. QB Geno Smith (20-of-30 for 159 yards, 2 INTs) piled up the completions after the game was decided. When he had a chance to do something in the first half, he failed. Both interceptions were returned for touchdowns. The running game was nonexistent because the Jets fell behind so early. The wide receivers did no favors for Smith, failing to get open, and the line allowed a ton of pressure early.
F
DEFENSE
Rex Ryan’s group delivered the dud of its season. The Bengals did anything they wanted, rolling up 402 yards. The secondary was embarrassing. Rookie Dee Milliner gave up four passes for 108 yards and was benched before halftime. Antonio Cromartie was not much better, allowing A.J. Green to run free on a few long passes. The front seven never pressured Andy Dalton, hitting him just once. Now the Jets have a week to fix things before facing the Saints.
F
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Nick Folk hit three field goals to remain a perfect 19-for-19 on the season. But Folk was bad on kickoffs and it cost the Jets just before halftime when Brandon Tate had a 71-yard return that led to a touchdown. Josh Cribbs had a few nice kickoff returns. Punter Ryan Quigley placed two punts inside the 20 and averaged 49.6 yards per punt.
B-
COACHING
The Jets came out flat and got run over by the Bengals. Ryan did a poor job preparing his team this week. There was clearly a letdown after last week’s big win over the Patriots. Defensively, Ryan and coordinator Dennis Thurman had no answers for the Bengals. They found no way to get pressure on Dalton. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg really had no chance with a rookie quarterback and a 14-point deficit early in the game.
F
—Brian Costello