Key Matchups: Breaking Down Jets vs Bengals in New York

Cincinnati is hoping to stay in first place in the AFC North.

The Bengals made a statement last week.

Cincinnati not only won in Baltimore, they dominated their divisional rival 41-17.

The defense sacked Lamar Jackson five times. They held the former MVP to a 48.3 completion percentage and kept the Baltimore offense in check most of the game.

Joe Burrow and the offense unlocked another level of “what could be” with over five hundred total yards and the Bengals’ first 40-plus point game since Week 16 of 2013.

Now, they shift their focus to the Big Apple. The Bengals are double digit favorites against the Jets on Sunday. They're hoping to go on a three-game winning streak for the first time in the Zac Taylor era. 

New York is coming off a 54-13 loss to the Patriots. Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson suffered a sprained PCL and won't play in Sunday's game against the Bengals. Mike White will start in his place. 

A year ago, this game would have been for draft position. Times have changed as the Bengals sit atop the AFC heading into Week 8.

Let’s take a dive into important matchups in this game. 

Joe Burrow vs. Jets Defense

Burrow had arguably the best game of his career in Baltimore minus his interception. He picked apart the secondary for a career-high 416 yards and added three touchdowns.

The 24 year old is ranked in the top 10 in every major statistical quarterback category. Burrow’s growth from year one to year two is taking the Bengals to new heights.

Burrow’s knee continues to progress as the quarterback has showcased his ability to move in the pocket and avoid pressure to create positive yards. 

Really nice pocket movement from Joe Burrow (again). This time he climbs after faking the wide zone. Also a beautiful throw to Uzomah. pic.twitter.com/gjuQfAdxx6

— mike (@bengals_sans) October 25, 2021

Baltimore blitzes on 32.5% of dropbacks (fourth in the league). After the opening drive, the Ravens looked like they were going to be disruptive with pressure all game. Burrow adjusted, finishing 9-of-13 for 183 yards and a touchdown while facing pressure. His passing yards were the most by any quarterback under pressure this season. 

The Jets’ defense has applied pressure slightly less than a quarter of the time. Seven of their 14 sacks came against the Titans in Week 4.

Burrow should have his way with this defense. New York is giving up an average of 275 yards in the air, 7.7 yards per attempt, and their next interception will be their first. New England had 11 passes of 20 or more yards against them last week. 

Prior to their blowout loss in Week 7, the Jets were second in opponent red zone touchdown scoring percentage (42.9%). Entering this week, they dropped to 11th (55.56%). 

Burrow is excelling in the red zone this season completing 70.6% of his passes for 99 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception. 

Advantage: Bengals

Bengals Offensive Line vs. Jet Defense

The Bengals offensive line is continuing to gel as a unit. They gave up 10 sacks the first two weeks of the season and have since surrendered seven over the past five games. 

Quinton Spain credited their weekly dinners when asked about the offensive line chemistry. That bond wasn't there last season. 

Spain went from being undrafted, to being a starter with the Titans and Bills. He signed with the Bengals in the middle of last season. 

The veteran has played well for a line that had many questions coming into the season. The guard is third among all offensive guards with a 1.7% pressure allowed rate pass-blocking situations according to Pro Football Focus.

Frank Pollack deserves the recognition for flipping the regime and establishing a new culture. The offensive line still has room to grow, but they are making strides from what they were in the past.

The Jets’ strength is through their defensive line even with former Bengal Carl Lawson out for the year with an Achilles injury.

Quinnen Williams is fifth among all interior linemen with 3.5 sacks. He ranks fifth (18%) in pass rush win rate among defensive tackles.

John Franklin-Myers is second on the team behind Williams with 3 sacks. His tackles and sacks don’t jump out at you, but Franklin-Myers creates a great amount of pressure on the quarterback. He was rewarded with a four-year, $55 million extension earlier this month.

Despite the early successes, the Jets line has struggled to generate pressure in recent weeks. After racking up 13 sacks in the first four weeks, they only have one sack since (bye was Week 6).

The one sack came last week against New England from linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips. On 42 dropbacks against the Patriots, their defensive front had just six pressures.

Advantage: Bengals

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

Bengals Skill Plays vs. Jets Defense

Ja’Marr Chase prevailed against his most talented assignment and top-ranked cornerback in Marlon Humphrey last week.

Chase hauled in eight catches for 201 yards and a touchdown. Humphrey shadowed Chase for a majority of the game, but the rookie came out on top. 

Chase said he would break records after the Bengals drafted him. Through seven games, he has more receiving yards than any other player in NFL history (754). 

A matchup against the Jets secondary should mean another big day for Chase and the rest of the receivers.

New York has given up 840 yards in the air (fifth-lowest), but have allowed 911 yards after catch (seventh-worst). 

Teams have found success attacking the Jets defense in the air with screens and slants. Mac Jones completed eight passes to receivers behind the line of scrimmage for 98 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, per NextGen Stats. Brandon Bolden caught six screens for 76 yards. 

Yards after catch for Bengals top receivers this season:

• Ja’Marr Chase: 267 yards
• Tyler Boyd: 178 yards
• C.J. Uzomah: 146 yards
• Joe Mixon: 102 yards
• Tee Higgins: 74 yards

A balanced attack could be established as well. New York is giving up an average of 127.5 yards on the ground per game and the second-most rushing touchdowns (11).

C.J. Mosley was banged up last week and didn’t play. He has been limited in practice this week, but should suit up against the Bengals.

Bryce Huff won't play due to a back injury.

Advantage: Bengals

Mike White vs. Bengals Defense

White will make his first career start on Sunday. He went 20-for-32 for 202 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

The former fifth-round pick of the Cowboys spent 2018 in Dallas and has since bounced back and forth between the Jets’ practice squad, the active roster, and the waiver wire.

White is a pocket passer with arm strength. He was a highly touted pitcher in high school, but chose the gridiron over the diamond.

The Jets are averaging 13.3 points per game. Cincinnati’s defense is holding opponents to 18.3 points per contest.

The Bengals have allowed 245 passing yards from opposing quarterbacks per game. However, the defense has forced many teams to go one-dimensional by stopping the run and forcing teams to throw. The Bengals' opponents have only ran the ball 165 times this season. They've passed the ball 279 times. 

If the defense can stop New York’s rushing attack and force an inexperienced White to throw, sparks could fly in the secondary. Chidobe Awuzie (1) is the lone defensive back with an interception this season. Linebacker Logan Wilson has four interceptions.

Advantage: Bengals

Jets Offensive Line vs. Bengals Defense

Former first round pick Mekhi Becton has been on injured reserve since suffering a knee injury Week 1. This was a significant loss to the team after allowing six sacks in their season opener.

Since Becton’s injury, the offensive line has had their ups and downs. They have been a better pass-blocking group winning 62% of the time. The mix of youthfulness between Wilson and the line has resulted in the rookie play caller being taken to the ground 19 times with 63 pressures. White was sacked once with four pressures after stepping in last week.

The Jets run-blocking is dead last (64%) in the NFL. To put it in perspective, the Washington Football team is first in run block win rate at 79%. 

Trey Hendrickson (shoulder) has appeared on the injury report for a second consecutive week, but will play on Sunday. Hendrickson has been essential in the rejuvenated defense. The defensive end is tied for second in quarterback pressures (36) and tied for fourth in sacks (6.5). 

Sam Hubbard added 2.5 sacks on Lamar Jackson to bring his season’s total to four.

The trio of DJ Reader, Larry Ogunjobi, and BJ Hill on the interior proceed to fill gaps and stop the run. The trio of defensive tackles are among the top for their position winning at the line of scrimmage against the run. 

Advantage: Bengals

Jets Skill Players vs. Bengals Defense

The Jets are the worst rushing team in the league. They have not had a rusher run for over 60 yards in a game.

Michael Carter is a speedy running back. The rookie will receive a majority of the snaps out of the backfield, especially with Tevin Coleman out. Ty Johnson will be the Jets' backup running back. 

Corey Davis is a big, physical receiver. He is the offense’s No. 1 target (42) with 24 catches, 349 yards, and four touchdowns. White connected with Davis on four receptions, including a three yard touchdown pass. 

Unfortunately for the Jets, Davis injured his hip in practice on Thursday and is doubtful for Sunday's game.

Elijah Moore has had a slow start to his rookie season. He has nine catches for 79 yards. If Davis can’t go, he’ll have the opportunity to showcase his speed and draw more targets.

Chidobe Awuzie is the fourth highest-graded (81.5) cornerback according to PFF. His ability to keep up with speedster receivers makes him special. Awuzie is tied for tenth in passes defended (7) and giving up completions (52.1%) on just over half of throws his way.

Chidobe Awuzie playing bail technique against Hollywood Brown. Loses hit leverage a little bit after the stutter, but is able to run with him stride for stride and get involved in the play. pic.twitter.com/cRj8I8fW5s

— mike (@bengals_sans) October 26, 2021

Awuzie has gone up against receivers like Davante Adams and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this season. He has allowed just one touchdown reception and it was against Brown.

Akeem Davis-Gathier had his best game of the season last week. The linebacker saw his most defensive snaps (39) with six total tackles and improvement in his pass coverage. He had a critical fourth down pass defended in the fourth quarter to set the Bengals up in Ravens’ territory. Mixon capped the turnover on downs with a 21-yard touchdown run.

Advantage: Bengals

Evan McPherson vs. Matt Ammendola

McPherson showed off the boot with a 52-yard field goal to start last week’s game. The kicker has made 3-of-4 attempts from 50 yards or more this season. 

Ammendola has just 13 total attempts (eight field goals, five extra points) on the season. He’s made 6-of-8 field goal attempts with his longest kick made from 49 yards out. He is 4-of-5 on extra points.

It’s hard to get a kicker going when the offense can’t give them the opportunity to do their job.

Advantage: Bengals

Teams shouldn’t overlook any games in the NFL and look ahead, but the Bengals face the Browns next week in another big AFC North showdown. Six of Cincinnati's last nine opponents currently have a record of .500 or better.

Cincinnati needs to take advantage of their matchups in this game. It’s imperative for them to leave New York with a complete win in all three phases of the game to continue to set the tone for the rest of the season.

Make sure you bookmark All Bengals for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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