Top 5 takeaways from Bengals vs Jets

Despite the New York Jets losing 23-22 against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 action, here are the top five takeaways from this contest.

Sep 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) scores a touchdown against New York Jets cornerback Marcus Williams (20) and linebacker Darron Lee (50) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets stumble in Week 1 as the Cincinnati Bengals came into MetLife Stadium and steal the win. The Jets looked very poised and pumped early on against the Bengals that you thought they would win. In the second half of the game, it was a completely different story and they looked lost. It was like night and day from what they looked like on offense and on defense.

Related Story: Jets fail to learn from 2015 collapse in Week 1

The team now falls to 0-1 and now have to forget about this game real quick. There are a lot of mistakes that need to be fixed and worked on. The Jets’ defensive front worked very hard to keep the team in this game. It hurt them already early on in case of them trying to make a run in the NFL Playoffs as this could have consequences later on.

There are five things that we can take away from Week 1 that could have been ended in a different result. If the Jets adjusted properly, perhaps we’d be talking about a victory instead since they were in it until the very end.

Let’s take a deeper look and breakdown the top takeaways from this Week 1 matchup.

Next: 5. Two missed kicks hurting the Jets

5. Two missed kicks hurting the Jets

Folk wasn’t himself in Week 1 as he missed a field goal and a point after touchdown as it was unusual for him to do such a thing. It was a very costly error on his part because the one point lost was from him missing that PAT.

What normally is a chip shot for Folk, he booted the ball wide right and everyone was shocked. Before he had missed that kick, in his career he was 312 for 312 which is an incredible number to achieve as a kicker.

He also missed a closer kick when he had his twenty-two-yard field goal blocked late in the first quarter. Special teams did not give enough time and possibly would need to look to replace some people on that line to give some help down the road.

He will need to make sure he is on his game as over these next few weeks the opponents only get harder. Folk will be a big key to the Jets scoring points and be successful in being better than last year.

Next: 4. Defense needs to do a better job in tackling

Sep 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive tackle Steve McLendon (99) tackles Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver James Wright (86) in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Jets 23-22. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

4. Defense needs to do a better job in tackling

What was to be a very good defensive secondary didn’t live up to expectations in this Week 1 matchup which is very frustrating to see. The Jets had missed a numerous amount of tackles that made them look like they got tired towards the end of the game.

There had to at least be 12 to 13 missed tackles which were very crucial plays that they gave up earl and late in the game. Late in the game when they had the Bengals stuck in third and long plays, the defense gave up.

If Folk continues to struggle the Jets will need to sign a backup to take his place in the starting lineup. Every point counts because it could be the difference in any close game played in the NFL. The Jets can’t only rely on their defense.

It will be interesting to see how he bounces back this week in a matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Either way, the Jets’ defense needs to be consistent from start to finish.

Next: 3. Revis Island not as fun as it use to be

Aug 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) looks on from the sidelines against the Washington Redskins during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

3. Revis Island not as fun as it use to be

Throughout his whole career, cornerback Darrelle Revis has been an incredible cornerback and has had a career worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Week 1 was a different story as at the age of 31-years-old, Revis is getting slower and is not able to keep up with the younger players.

Revis had the job of covering wide receiver A.J. Green who is amongst the best wide receivers in the game at the moment. The biggest blow was when Green had scored a touchdown on a 54-yard pass from quarterback Andy Dalton.

He should try to cover someone with his speed and not try to take on a bigger role. The Jets have a young secondary that is capable of doing the job. Green had a good day with 12 receptions, 180 yards in total and one touchdown.

When Dalton threw the ball to Green while Revis was covering him, he had a perfect passer rating. Green was able to build a house on Revis Island which many receivers had big problems in doing that in the past. Things will need to change if the Jets will want to take the best receiver out of the game and not give him a chance to thrive against Revis.

Next: 2. A lack of heart and passion in second half

Sep 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) catches a pass against Cincinnati Bengals safety Shawn Williams (36) and safety George Iloka (43) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. A lack of heart and passion in second half

The first half of the game it looked like the Jets were playing with a lot of emotion and determination. Then when the second half started, they looked tired and didn’t give that much effort in the grand scheme of things.

The defensive front of the Jets were the only ones to give all they had in the second half to win this game. The secondary needed to step up to help out and make the stops but that didn’t happen.

The offense was very productive in the first half but in the second half, they played horrific which even made Bowles upset. There were too many dropped passes and too many penalties in the second half that were costly.

The big stars on the Jets team didn’t play with passion in the first or second half of the game which was shocking. This team looked very sluggish and the Bengals came out with a lot of passion and determination straight to victory.

Next: 1. The costly errors of Ryan Fitzpatrick

Sep 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) falls short of the end zone in the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Bengals defeated the Jets 23-22. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

1. The costly errors of Ryan Fitzpatrick

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was making the same mistakes like he did last year that were very costly. He signed a $12M contract that he thought he earned. He was forcing too many passes into tight coverage. He made a very costly interception at the end of the game that was intercepted and sealed the deal for the Bengals.

Fitzpatrick was not making the right decisions when reading coverage and wasn’t recognizing the blitz packages coming his way. He needs to be the leader out there and be more vocal as the quarterback of the team.

He looked good in the first half but when the second half started, he looked like his old self and made a lot of bad decisions. If he wants to earn his contract, he is going to have to be smarter and quicker with execution.

must read: Top 5 plays of Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals

He said coming into the year he want to prove his doubters wrong for the way he has played. If he doesn’t want to be remembered for his lack of execution, it has to start against Buffalo on Thursday Night Football. He needs to take the baby steps in the right direction and continue with it consistently.