After emotional week, Fields helps Jets stun Cincy

CINCINNATI -- It was a gut-wrenching week for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who almost lost his job and was publicly criticized by team owner Woody Johnson. At one point during the week, Fields was in his closet at home, on the ground sobbing.

The tears almost happened again Sunday after the Jets' first win of the season, 39-38 over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium -- one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history.

"It's been a lot for me, emotionally, spiritually," Fields said. "When I was on the field, I was damn near about to start crying."

Fields gave a clinic on how an embattled athlete should handle adversity. Rebounding from two dismal performances, he completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown, rallying the Jets from a 15-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter. He also ran for a 2-point conversion and made a brilliant, falling-down throw to Isaiah Davis on another 2-point play.

Thanks largely to Fields and Breece Hall, who ran for two touchdowns and threw the game-winning TD on a halfback option, the previously inept Jets (1-7) won a game that appeared unwinnable.

Afterward, Fields received praise from all corners of the locker room.

"It seemed like the world was kind of crashing in around him, and he just went out there with football in his mind, locked in, played a hell of the game and led us to the win," safety Isaiah Oliver said. "He was vocal on the sideline all week during practice. None of that changed who he was."

Fields was benched at halftime last Sunday and spent the week in limbo, not knowing if he had been demoted. Coach Aaron Glenn played it close to the vest. He appeared to be leaning toward a quarterback change, but any plan of a potential switch was aborted Saturday when Tyrod Taylor was ruled out with a bone bruise in a knee. He "just wasn't comfortable," Glenn said of Taylor.

So, he stuck with Fields, whose name was dragged through headlines Tuesday when Johnson essentially blamed him for the 0-7 start. Johnson said, "If we can just complete a pass, it would look good."

Fields dismissed the criticism Wednesday. After Sunday's game, he opened up, saying at one point, "I'm going to get pretty vulnerable right here." His voice cracked a couple of times.

He shared the anecdote about crying in the closet. The deeply spiritual Fields mentioned the stress of the season and the "ups and downs" of the job but said his tears weren't caused by the hardships of the week.

"It was nothing [that] had to do with football," he said. "Football is football, but it was so much more just about the journey and about how we got to this point and just facing adversity and fighting through adversity."

Undaunted, Fields lived the dream of every employee -- making his boss regret his words. He insisted there was no redemptive enjoyment.

"I get that he's the owner of the team, but that's outside noise," Fields said. "The biggest thing was my teammates still believing in me, my coaches still believing in me, and God."

It looked bleak for Fields & Co. after Samaje Perine scored on a 34-yard run to put the Bengals (3-5) ahead 31-16. Then Hall (18 carries for 133 yards) took over the fourth quarter, scoring on runs of 5 and 27 yards and throwing a 4-yard scoring pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor with 1:54 left in the game.

Hall's play was only the fourth game-winning touchdown pass by a non-quarterback in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime since 1950. Another Jets running back, Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, did it in 2000.

"I saw the defender with his back turned to me, so I said, 'I'm going to throw it up to Mason and see if he goes and gets it,'" Hall said. "I didn't know he scored, but I turned and looked at all the Bengals fans and they were silent, looking at me."

Referring to offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, Hall said, "I was like, 'Tanner's got to have some balls to call this one.'"

Hall admitted he was "kind of frustrated" by his seven-game touchdown drought, the longest of his career. On Saturday, he said he told the coaches, "I need the ball this week." Without wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) in the lineup, Hall said he needed 20 to 25 touches for the team to win.

He wound up with 21, counting his pass, as the Jets rushed for 254 yards -- their most since 2021. The Jets, who had only one touchdown in their previous 12 quarters, erupted for three in the fourth to pull out the win.

In the raucous postgame locker room, Glenn received the game ball from vice chairman Christopher Johnson, Woody Johnson's younger brother. Glenn credited his players and coaches. And, of course, his quarterback.

"He's primed to be able to handle situations like this," Glenn said. "It's so unfair to him, it really is, that he gets criticized so much. ... I would say that some of it's unwarranted, but we understand. A lot of that goes with 0-7. He's a perfect person to be able to handle everything that's been thrown at him. He's a special person."