Keys to Victory: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets

Cincinnati is hoping to take down New York and hold onto the AFC's No. 1 seed.

CINCINNATI — Following the Bengals loss to the Packers in Week 5, a player sent me a message to let me know that not only would his team bounce back, but that he was confident he and his teammates would go on a run, and he was right.

The tone of that message was significant because over the last few years, after the many losses in the first two seasons of the Zac Taylor era, I would routinely get messages or calls that sang a very different tune.

The excitement wasn’t there, the trust in the team’s direction was not there, and the confidence in the coaching staff was non-existent.

Now in year three of Taylor’s reign, players look much more poised on the field, there’s less confusion, less doubt to go along with more swagger, and belief in where they are going (playoffs?) and how they are going to reach their destination.

It's no secret that Taylor’s career is at stake with every single game. So far, so good for third-year head coach who has managed to put together a team that is in a position to be in the 2021 playoff race, but even still, there is no room for mistakes. The New York Jets likely won’t sniff the playoffs this season, they are much more likely to be where the Bengals have been the last two seasons—waiting on the NFL draft to roll along in hopes of snagging a top pick (again).

The keys for this week's game are different from past week’s because even though NY ranks near the bottom in almost every statistical category, it is always a dangerous task to face a team with nothing to lose.

Tunnel Vision

When going against a 1-5 team, Cincinnati must stay the course—keep that tunnel vision locked in, and refrain from playing down to New York’s level. I don’t want to see even a sliver of relaxation from Taylor’s crew on Sunday.

The Jets have allowed 20 sacks so far on the season, and they’ll have to try to contain the Bengals' pass rush on Sunday after they sacked Lamar Jackson five times last week to go along with seven quarterback hits. If I’m Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, my goal is to make sure that Mike White is begging Robert Saleh for an ice bath by halftime. Showing an unrelenting, complete game on Sunday will be the expectation for the Bengals on Halloween afternoon.

Allow Joe Burrow to go Outside of His Comfort Zone

Taylor has been straightforward about Joe Burrow's demeanor in meetings and film sessions. He doesn’t beat around the bush, he’s very direct and unapologetic about letting coaches know if he’s uncomfortable with something or if he simply doesn’t like a play call that Brian Callahan and Taylor dreamt up that week.

Given the fact that New York’s defense has been spiraling this year by allowing 275 yards per game along with a 102.2 rate, and ranking 25th in pass defense, I think this is the week where Burrow can try different things in live game action in preparation for January.

Yes, the Jets have been blitzing a lot this year (27.4%), but we know who Burrow is against this tactic. He holds the NFL’s third-best completion percentage against the blitz (68.9%). He has expanded his game in that area to the point where we shouldn’t be concerned when teams bring pressure.

Taylor has said numerous times that Burrow never feels like his game is perfect, and now is the time for him to explore growth as a quarterback and perfect some of the things that bug him about his game. The Jets have seven weeks of film on the 2021 version of Joey Franchise—why not throw them off their game plan even more by trying out new plays?

Related: All Bengals Staff Makes Picks for Sunday's Game Against Jets

Stonewall Jets Running Backs

Last week the Jets running backs caught 87.5% of the passes that went for 10 or fewer yards. Expect White to throw a hefty amount of short, fast passes to guys like Michael Carter, and TY Johnson, two running backs who led the team in receiving yards, combining for 132 yards on 16 total targets last week. 

After seeing some success with that against the Patriots, I would expect them to continue that into Sunday’s game.

The Bengals' defense can simply stay in their identity, be their typical relentless selves, and kill off any sort of rhythm or momentum the Jets hope to gain with that scheme.

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