The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Bengals vs. Jets Recap

Mike White, in his first NFL start of his career, led the New York Jets to a 34-31 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in New York on Sunday afternoon. The Bengals' defense seemed to have little answer for Mike White as he was able to find open receivers all over.

The Bengals were up 31-20 at the start of the fourth quarter as the Jets put up 14 points unanswered to close out the game. This was just the second win for the Jets on the season, and they handed the Bengals their third loss of the season. The Bengals dropped to second in the AFC North behind the Ravens.

Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this past matchup.

The Good

Mike White was the clear choice for the good that came out of this game. He threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns against a Bengal's defense that was rated in the top ten in most defensive categories prior to this game.

He seemed to be able to do what he wanted on the field and looked poised to win the game even when the Jets were down going into the fourth quarter. The Jets will likely change the course of action on who they are using as their quarterback until Mike White gives them a reason otherwise.

The Bad

Joe Mixon's production was not good enough to wear down the Jets defense. He scored once on the ground and once through the air, which isn't a bad stat line, but the Bengals needed more production from him on the ground to keep control of the clock and the game.

He ran for 33 yards on 14 carries. Having only 33 yards as the lead rusher of a team that tends to favor balancing the pass and the run will not cut it if the Bengals want to be a legitimate contender for the playoffs.

The Ugly

The Bengals' defense was ugly, to say the least. How does Mike White, a quarterback in his first start in his career in the NFL, tear up this defense for over 400 yards through the air? That is a good question that most would laugh at if you said that before the game.

Along with leaving receivers open all over the field, Michael Carter was able to achieve more than twice the amount of yards that Mixon had with only one more carry. This will be a game that the Bengals defense will want to forget, especially considering they have a huge game next week against their divisional opponent, the Cleveland Browns.

Next Matchup

The Bengals will take on the Browns next Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on CBS as Cincinnati will travel back home to Paul Brown Stadium. The Jets will look to continue their momentum as they face the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night in primetime at 8:20 p.m. EST on FOX.