New York Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields had a challenging week. He was benched at halftime in the team’s loss to the Panthers, and Jets owner Woody Johnson criticized his ability to complete a pass.
However, Jets coach Aaron Glenn stuck with Fields, and he finally led the team to win as the New York Jets(1-7) defeated the Bengals(3-5) on the road 39-38 on Sunday,
With Fields, the Jets had a season-high 502(254 yards rushing) total yards, which is the most yardage the team has had since 2021.
The 26-year-old Fields, who had a combined 91 yards in the last one and a half games, completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards against the Bengals, and he led New York on a nine-play, 58-yard game-winning drive in the fourth to give the Jets the lead for good.
Glenn, who got his first win as a head coach, says Fields is special.
“I’ve said this on a number of occasions — who he is as a person, his faith, and the way he goes about his business, he was primed to be able to do something like that,” Glenn said. “He’s primed to be able to handle situations like this. It’s so unfair to him, it really is, that he gets criticized so much. But on the other hand, I’ve told him, being a high pick and being a quarterback, especially in the New York area — criticism, responsibility, expectations, all those things follow you. So, handle it. Some of it is unwarranted, we understand. A lot of that goes with (us being) 0-7. He is a perfect person to be able to handle everything that has been thrown at him. He’s a special person.”
Fields says he was emotional after the game for many reasons.
“It’s been a lot for me — emotionally, spiritually,” Fields said. “When I was on the field, I damn near started crying. Not because we won, but because of the goodness of God and how everything worked for the greater good. Everything I’ve been through this past week, everything that we’ve been through as a team these past seven weeks — it’s been a lot of ups and downs. I’ve had a lot of support from my teammates, my brothers, my family, and my friends. Most of all, I’m just thankful for the lord. He blessed me.
“Yesterday, I was praying like crazy, just for a win. I’m going to get pretty vulnerable right here, but this week, I found myself in my closet crying. On the ground, laying down. Not because of the hardships or the troubles. I felt like I was built to handle that, and I was put in a place to handle this situation. But in that moment, I was talking to my best friend about how hard it was and not wavering faith-wise. I had just gotten a text from my sister and my stepmom, and they were just encouraging texts about keeping going and spreading the faith. They just sent me a link on social media — and I tell you guys all the time that I’m not on social media, so I didn’t see it. It was just a sign from God for me to keep going and that I’m in the right place. Yesterday, I was just praying over and over again for just one win—all that to say that God is real. God is good. Everything we go through in this life is for a purpose.”
No matter how you feel about Fields as a quarterback, you have to give him credit for his performance on Sunday. He had a rough week, but he overcame it to deliver a solid performance. That says a lot about who Justin Fields is as a person, and it could be something New York builds on going forward.
Notes:
RB Breece Hall led the team with 133 rushing yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a season-long 35-yard carry in the third quarter. Hall’s performance marks the first time that a Jet has totaled 100+ rushing yards and two+ touchdowns since Isaiah Crowell in 2018 (Week One at DET).
Additionally, Hall passed for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the first passing touchdown in his career. Hall is the first Jets running back to total two+ rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in a single game in franchise history and joins Justin Fields, Josh McCown, and Mark Sanchez as one of just four Jets ever to do so.
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