3 players to blame for the NY Jets Week 3 loss to the Bengals

On Sunday, the NY Jets returned home to MetLife Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Jets, unfortunately, would be on the losing end of a beating. The Bengals didn't play their best football, but the reigning AFC champions would go on to crush the Jets by a final score of 27-12.

This game was not pretty in the slightest. Coming off their shocking win in Cleveland, the Jets hoped to use that game to spark some life and potentially start a hot streak. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

The game was about as ugly as it gets for a team and minus Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall, and Garrett Wilson, nearly the entire team played poorly. Picking only three players will not be easy, but here we go.

3. Joe Flacco, QB, NY Jets

Does Mike White still exist? Seriously, does he? This was about as ugly as it gets. Joe Flacco, who put together a solid Week 2 performance, once again fell flat on his face in Week 3.

The 37-year-old only completed 28 passes out of his 52 attempts for 285 yards. He also threw zero touchdowns and two interceptions, fumbling the ball three times in the process.

Flacco went from a player to blame in Week 1 to a player who led the Jets to victory in Week 2 and is now back to the rough spot that he was in Week 1. On a brighter note, Zach Wilson should be back this week.

2. Jordan Whitehead, S, NY Jets

Unfortunately, Jordan Whitehead has been finding his way on this list for the past couple of Jets losses. Whitehead just isn't playing as well as he should be, which is what it all comes down to. The veteran safety had a brutal missed tackle that led to a Tyler Boyd score in Sunday's game.

It was a play that should have gone for a modest third-down gain. However, Whitehead's bone-headed missed tackle allowed Boyd to streak 56 yards down the field for a touchdown.

This wasn't the deciding factor, by any means. However, this play was arguably the worst for the Jets' defense throughout the entire game. This wasn't Whitehead's best effort.

1. The NY Jets running game

So, this one isn't just going to be one player, but more of a team effort. The Jets' running game was nowhere to be found in Sunday's game.

Breece Hall did his part as a receiver but just could not pick up any consistent yards on the ground. In the air, Hall finished with 53 yards on six receptions. On the ground, Hall picked up 39 yards on eight carries, averaging 4.9 yards a carry.

Michael Carter, on the other hand, was less efficient. On the ground, Carter rushed 11 times and also only picked up 39 yards, as well. Through the air, Carter had one catch for seven yards.

This was definitely not his best game either and could have arguably been his worst. Braxton Berrios ran once for -2 yards which just made things worse.

This was a downright bad game for the Jets. Hopefully, the Jets can put this behind them, come out next week, and beat Mitch Trubisky and the Pittsburgh Steelers.