NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

September 12, 2016

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Table of Contents

ASSOCIATED PRESS ................................................................................................................................................ 2

Nugent's 47-yard field goal leads Bengals past Jets 23-22 (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) ....................................................... 2

Facing quick turnaround, Jets will try to prevent 0-2 start (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) ...................................................... 4

Jets sputter in red zone in 23-22 loss to Bengals (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) ..................................................................... 5

THE RECORD .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Late field goal gives Bengals 23-22 win over Jets (Andy Vasquez) ............................................................................ 7

Jets: Inside Bengals game (Jeff Roberts) ................................................................................................................... 7

Jets notes: Todd Bowles plays it safe (Andy Vasquez) .............................................................................................. 8

Jets' Revis gets torched by Green (Jeff Roberts) ....................................................................................................... 9

NEWSDAY ............................................................................................................................................................ 10

Jets fall to Bengals in opener on late field goal (Kimberley A. Martin) ................................................................... 10

Nick Folk’s miscues leave door open for Bengals to steal win (Colin Stephenson) ................................................. 11

Bengals edge Jets despite allowing 7 sacks (Brian Heyman) ................................................................................... 12

Darrelle Revis, Jets secondary have hands full with Bengals’ A.J. Green (Neil Best)............................................... 13

Jets Q&A: Versatile Matt Forte excels in debut for Jets (Kimberley A. Martin) ...................................................... 15

ESPN NEW YORK .................................................................................................................................................. 16

Bad day by Darrelle Revis, invisible day for Brandon Marshall -- and Jets lose (Rich Cimini) ................................. 16

NEW YORK POST .................................................................................................................................................. 17

How A.J. Green made a mockery of Revis Island (Howie Kussoy) ........................................................................... 17

Todd Bowles in no mood to talk about Jets’ one offensive star (Brian Costello) .................................................... 18

Jets have to realize who Darrelle Revis is — and who he isn’t (George Willis) ....................................................... 19

The Jets defensive line is beyond the menace QBs feared (Mark Cannizzaro) ....................................................... 20

Mike Nugent twists the knife on hurting Jets fans (Howie Kussoy) ........................................................................ 21

The brutal reality of Nick Folk: Kickers have nowhere to hide (Mark Cannizzaro).................................................. 22

Have Jets already found moment that’ll haunt them all year? (Mike Vaccaro) ...................................................... 23

Report card: Can Jets defense get 2 different grades? (Brian Costello) .................................................................. 24

Jets throw away crucial chance in ill-fated kicking battle (Brian Costello) .............................................................. 25

One way for Jets to prove they’re over 2015 Bills debacle (Mike Vaccaro) ............................................................ 26

NJ ADVANCE MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................ 27

Jets' defensive line thrives vs. Bengals, could be 'the best in the league' (Darryl Slater) ....................................... 27

Did Jets' loss to Cincinnati indicate how heavily they'll involve Matt Forte in 2016? (Darryl Slater)...................... 28

Jets' Nick Folk after missed kick, PAT: 'I feel like I let the team down' (Connor Hughes) ....................................... 29

Daily Clips Cont.

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Jets' Darrelle Revis on Bengals' A.J. Green: 'I can take a punch on the chin' (Connor Hughes) .............................. 30

Brandon Marshall on Jets' red zone vs. Bengals: 'Poorest execution I've ever seen' (Darryl Slater) ...................... 31

Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick struggle in red zone during 23-22 loss to Bengals ................................................................ 32

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 34

Nick Folk’s missed PAT comes back to haunt Jets as Bengals escape with 23-22 win in opener (Seth Walder) ..... 34

Jets defense actually played well against Bengals, still believe best is yet to come (Daniel Popper) ..................... 35

Jets kicker Nick Folk had a bad, bad day vs. Bengals on Sunday (Daniel Popper) ................................................... 36

Jets honor victims of 9/11 before season opener vs. Bengals, all players stand for national anthem (Daniel Popper) .................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Jets’ Darrelle Revis is an all-time great, but he looks done after A.J. Green torches him in Week 1 (Manish Mehta) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37

NEW YORK TIMES ................................................................................................................................................ 39

Opportunity, Like Bengals Receivers, Slips Past the Jets (Scott Cacciola) ............................................................... 39

Ryan Clady’s Twisted Turns (Ben Shpigel) ............................................................................................................... 41

METRO NEW YORK .............................................................................................................................................. 44

3 things we learned in Jets' devastating setback to Bengals (Tony Williams) ......................................................... 44

SUNDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 45

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nugent's 47-yard field goal leads Bengals past Jets 23-22 (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press September 11, 2016

http://pro32.ap.org/article/nugents-47-yard-field-goal-leads-bengals-past-jets-23-22

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Andy Dalton got hit hard by the New York Jets, early and often. In the end, the quarterback and the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals were the ones standing.

Mike Nugent kicked a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left, lifting the Bengals to a back-and-forth 23-22 season-opening victory Sunday.

Dalton threw for 366 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked a career-high seven times by the Jets, including 2 1/2 by Leonard Williams and two by Steve McLendon.

"Any time you can get a win on the road, you've got to take these games," Dalton said. "This one was big."

A.J. Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards, mostly against Darrelle Revis to help the Bengals beat the Jets for the first time in 10 meetings in New Jersey.

"The whole week everybody was saying A.J. vs. Darrelle," Green said. "Revis is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's my honor going against him. I was just trying to make plays anytime the ball came my way."

Josh Shaw sealed the victory with an interception of Ryan Fitzpatrick in the closing seconds, helping Cincinnati improve to 7-7 in openers under coach Marvin Lewis.

Nick Folk kicked a go-ahead 23-yard field goal with 3:23 remaining, but Dalton marched the Bengals (1-0) downfield for the winning drive. The first missed extra point in Folk's career and a blocked 22-yard attempt came back to haunt the Jets (0-1).

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Dalton finished 23 of 30 with the TD and an interception, and Jeremy Hill ran for 31 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals took the lead in the third quarter when Hill bulldozed his way up the middle for a 12-yard TD run. The drive was aided by Brandon LaFell's 49-yard catch over Marcus Williams on third-and-18.

The Jets drove to the Bengals 1 on their next possession, but stalled, leaving it to Folk to kick a 20-yard field goal to make it 20-19. After Nugent, a former Jet, was wide right on a 52-yard attempt, the Jets drove down the field and went ahead on Folk's go-ahead 23-yarder.

Fitzpatrick finished 19 of 35 for 189 yards and touchdown passes to Quincy Enunwa and Eric Decker. The Jets were hurt by drives sputtering in the red zone and having to settle for field-goal attempts rather than touchdowns.

"We had our opportunities," Fitzpatrick said. "We were winning in the fourth quarter and we just couldn't shut the door."

PREGAME TRIBUTE

The Jets held a pregame tribute for the families and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga led the entire team out of tunnel carrying the American flag. Moments later, Jets safety Rontez Miles did the same to huge cheers from the MetLife Stadium crowd.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was an honorary captain, along with representatives from the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation. Former wide receivers Wayne Chrebet and Laveranues Coles and linebacker Marvin Jones, members of the Jets' 2001 team, were also at midfield for the pregame coin toss.

Every member of both teams stood on the sideline during the singing of the national anthem.

INJURIES

Jets linebacker David Harris continued his playing streak after being questionable with a bruised shoulder. He started his 117th straight regular-season game.

Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert was out, still recovering from an ankle injury in the Pro Bowl. He was replaced in the starting lineup by C.J. Uzomah.

THAT'S RIGHT

The Jets rotated backups Ben Ijalana and Brent Qvale at right tackle with starter Breno Giacomini out for at least six weeks with a back injury.

FORTE'S DEBUT

Matt Forte, signed as a free agent in the offseason, ran for 96 yards on 22 carries for the Jets, and caught five passes for 59 yards.

FOLK'S MISSES

Folk's missed extra point went wide right after a 15-yard touchdown catch by Decker with 9:38 left in the first half — ending a streak of 312 straight made PATs.

Folk had set the NFL record for most extra points without a miss with 322 overall, including the playoffs. The reliable veteran, who held off Duke rookie Ross Martin in training camp, also had a 22-yard attempt blocked in the first quarter by Margus Hunt's tip of a low kick.

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Facing quick turnaround, Jets will try to prevent 0-2 start (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press September 11, 2016

http://pro32.ap.org/article/facing-quick-turnaround-jets-will-try-prevent-0-2-start

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets fell one point and a few missed opportunities short of opening the season with a victory.

With a quick turnaround and a trip to AFC East-rival Buffalo up next, they're staring at a potential 0-2 start for the first time since 2007. And, they've got plenty to clean up in a hurry.

"It's tough, and it's not what we wanted," quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said of the Jets' 23-22 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves or mope for too long because we've got one coming up in a few days."

On Thursday night, the Jets will take on former coach Rex Ryan and his Bills, who are staring at a similar 0-2 start after a 13-7 loss at Baltimore.

Buffalo beat New York twice last season, including in the season finale — which kept the Jets out of the playoffs.

Since the NFL's expanded playoff format was put in place in 1990, only 26 teams have started with at least two losses and made the postseason. Fitzpatrick doesn't necessarily think that adds any pressure on the Jets heading into their game against the Bills.

"I don't really buy into that," he said. "I don't want to start 0-2, though."

Neither do the Bills. And the loser of that matchup will also be 0-2 in the conference.

"I don't know what pressure is," Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. "It's just football. You just have to win them when you have the chance to play."

Here are some other things to know about the Bengals and Jets after their Week 1 game:

ANDY STILL STANDING

The Bengals beat the Jets despite Andy Dalton being sacked a career-high seven times.

If the Cincinnati quarterback didn't get rid of the ball quickly, he was routinely hit hard and/or sacked. Coach Marvin Lewis knows that the leaky line is one area that needs to improve starting next week against Pittsburgh.

"We've got to do better," Lewis said. "We can't give up seven sacks. Our quarterback will not make it through the season if we give up seven sacks a week."

Dalton still managed to go 23 of 30 for 366 yards with a touchdown and one interception.

GREEN'S DAY

A.J. Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards, mostly against Darrelle Revis to help the Bengals beat the Jets for the first time in 10 meetings in New Jersey.

The Jets went into the game saying they would mix up the coverage on Green, and not leave only Revis on him. According to NFL Research, Dalton had a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting Green with Revis covering: 10-for-10, 152 yards, 1 TD.

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"The whole week everybody was saying A.J. vs. Darrelle," Green said. "Revis is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's my honor going against him. I was just trying to make plays anytime the ball came my way."

Meanwhile, the mystique around "Revis Island" might be fading. It was a rough start for Revis, who will have to take on Buffalo's Sammy Watkins next.

"He had a great game," Revis said of Green. "I can take a punch on the chin."

RED ZONE IS DEAD ZONE

The Jets were the third-best team in the red zone scoring last season, and got off to a good start this year with Quincy Enunwa catching a 3-yard touchdown pass on New York's opening drive.

They also had a 15-yard TD to Decker, but Nick Folk missed a 22-yard field goal on one trip and the Jets settled for field goals on two fourth-quarter ventures into the Bengals 20.

Those missed opportunities made the difference in the game for the Jets.

"We were just sloppy down there," Marshall said of the Jets' red-zone struggles. "Poor execution. It's something we pride ourselves on. Didn't get it done. ... That was the poorest execution I've ever seen on our side in the red zone since I've been here."

FOLK'S FOLLIES

Folk has been as automatic as they come when it comes to extra points, so his miss on Sunday was a bit stunning. After all, it ended a streak of 312 straight made PATs.

He had also set the NFL record for most extra points without a miss with 322 overall, including the playoffs.

Couple that, though, with his blocked 22-yard field goal attempt earlier in the opening quarter, and there might be some slight concern over the reliable veteran, who held off Duke rookie Ross Martin in training camp.

"You just have to move on to the next kick," Folk said. "We made the next three field goals, whatever it was. You just have to put it behind you and start a new streak."

DOMINANT D-LINE

The Jets' defensive line had a big day, and it gets a key player back against Buffalo when Sheldon Richardson returns from a one-game suspension.

Richardson had to sit out as a result of his 2015 arrest after driving at high speeds in Missouri, which violated the league's personal conduct policy. The Jets' pass rush was OK without him, though, notching the team's most sacks since getting eight against Buffalo in 2013.

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Jets sputter in red zone in 23-22 loss to Bengals (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press September 11, 2016

http://pro32.ap.org/article/jets-sputter-red-zone-23-22-loss-bengals

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ryan Fitzpatrick and the New York Jets kept getting close to the end zone.

Most of the time, though, Cincinnati kept them out — and it was the difference in the Bengals' 23-22 victory in the season opener Sunday.

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"We've got to score touchdowns," Fitzpatrick said. "We got down there plenty. Credit the Bengals. They've got a good red-zone defense."

The Jets, who were the third-best team in the red zone last season, made five trips inside the Bengals 20 and they got off to a good start with Fitzpatrick connecting with Quincy Enunwa for a 3-yard touchdown on their opening drive.

"We didn't make adjustments, but we kept fighting," Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. "We knew that at some point, we would have an opportunity to shift the game and make a great play."

After getting down to the 4 on its next drive, New York stalled with two incompletions to Brandon Marshall and a catch for no yards by Bilal Powell. That set up a 22-yard chip shot for Nick Folk, whose low kick was blocked by Margus Hunt.

"We were just sloppy down there," Marshall said of the Jets' red-zone struggles. "Poor execution. It's something we pride ourselves on. Didn't get it done. ... That was the poorest execution I've ever seen on our side in the red zone since I've been here."

New York rebounded in the second quarter with a 15-yard touchdown from Fitzpatrick to Eric Decker, which gave the Jets a 13-10 lead. Folk, however, missed the first extra point of his career.

"I take it on my shoulders," Folk said. "I feel like I let the team down. If we make the extra point and the field goal, they need a touchdown at the end."

The fourth quarter, however, was where the game really turned.

Trailing 20-16, New York went to the ground game in a big way, running the ball nine times in 10 plays to get down to the 2. But on third-and-goal, Fitzpatrick misfired to Decker — and the Jets had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Folk.

On Cincinnati's next possession, Mike Nugent was wide right on a 52-yard attempt that kept the game a one-point affair. It also gave the Jets terrific field position with just over 9 minutes left, putting the ball at their 42.

A 17-yard catch by Enunwa and a 22-yard grab by Decker three plays later put the Jets at the Bengals 15. Matt Forte gained 3 yards on a run and Marshall had a 4-yard catch, but Bilal Powell gained just 2 yards on third-and-3 from the 8.

Again, the Jets had to kick a field goal, this time a 23-yarder by Folk that put the Jets ahead 22-20 with 3:23 left.

"We made a big stop there," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

That also left plenty of time for Andy Dalton and the Bengals to put together the winning drive, capped by Nugent's 47-yarder with 54 seconds left.

"Anytime you can get a win on the road, you've got to take these games," said Dalton, who was sacked a career-high seven times. "This one was big. At the end, we needed to make a play. It was a great team effort by everybody."

The Jets still had an opportunity to drive for a winning score after Nugent's kick, but things got off to a bad start when Marshall dropped a deep pass over the middle.

Next came an incompletion to Decker, and then Josh Shaw picked off Fitzpatrick's next throw to Decker — the Jets' only turnover of the game — to seal it for the Bengals.

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"I'm just happy," Lewis said. "We kept pounding today and that's what we've got to do. That's the thing all season: Just pound together and break through, and today, the breakthrough came late in the game and the defense had a big stop there at the end."

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THE RECORD

Late field goal gives Bengals 23-22 win over Jets (Andy Vasquez) The Record September 11, 2016

http://www.northjersey.com/news/late-field-goal-gives-bengals-23-22-win-over-jets-1.1658435

EAST RUTHERFORD — The Jets couldn’t convert in the red zone. Nick Folk couldn’t make an extra point. And because of it, the Jets couldn’t get a win in their season-opener at MetLife Stadium.

Mike Nugent made a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining to lift the Bengals to a 23-22 victory over the Jets.

The Jets missed several opportunities in the red zone; they were forced to kick three field goals from inside the 20 — including a short Folk field goal that was blocked in the first quarter. Twice in the fourth quarter the Jets were inside the 10 and couldn’t score a touchdown. Despite finishing with 340 total yards, the Jets were abysmal in short yardage situations and finished only 2-of-5 in red zone opportunities.

Folk’s missed extra point in the second quarter didn’t help matters either. The ball sailed wide right by a few feet. That proved to be the margin of defeat for the Jets.

The struggles undermined impressive day from the Jets defensive line. They combined for seven sacks — including 2.0 for Leonard Williams and 2.5 from Steve McLendon. The Jets marked the 15th year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks before the game with an emotional ceremony. It included a moment of silence, a taped message from President Obama, and an American flag the size of the football field.

All players, for both teams, stood for the national anthem.

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Jets: Inside Bengals game (Jeff Roberts) The Record September 12, 2016

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets/jets-inside-benals-game-1.1658620

Heroes of the day

Running back Matt Forte impressed with his vision and slipperiness in his Jets debut, compiling 155 total yards (96 rushing on 22 carries and 59 receiving on five catches). The front seven registered seven sacks — Leonard Williams had 2 1/2, Steve McLendon 2, Mo Wilkerson 1 1/2 and Lorenzo Mauldin 1 — even without the suspended Sheldon Richardson. But it just was not enough in a 23-22 Bengals’ victory. That’s because A.J. Green and Andy Dalton owned the Jets’ secondary. Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. Dalton threw for 366 yards and completed 77 percent of his passes (23-of-30) as the Jets yielded pass plays of 54, 54, 49 and 32 yards.

Goats (and not G.O.A.T.s)

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Darrelle Revis and Nick Folk share the ignominy in the bitter one-point loss. Folk’s 22-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter was blocked. He then pushed an extra-point attempt wide right in the second. Both came back to haunt the Jets. Revis, meanwhile, often was beaten by Green, who caught 12 passes out of the 13 times he was targeted, including a 54-yard touchdown in the second. Revis covered him most of the game.

Pivotal plays

The Jets led, 22-20, with 1:11 remaining, and the Bengals facing a third-and-13 at the New York 40. If the Jets held them, they could run out the clock. Instead, Dalton found Green for 11 yards with Revis in coverage. On the next play, former Jet Mike Nugent hit a 47-yard field goal that gave Cincinnati its winning margin.

Late in the third quarter, the Jets had Dalton and Bengals right where they wanted them. Cincinnati faced a third-and-18 from its own 29, trailing, 16-13. Then Brandon LaFell slipped behind Marcus Williams for a 49-yard reception to the Jets’ 22. Five plays later, the Bengals took a 20-16 lead on Jeremy Hill’s 12-yard touchdown run.

Unheralded duo

Lost in a bitter defeat was the strong play of Jets receivers Quincy Enunwa and undrafted rookie Jalin Marshall. Enunwa led the Jets with seven receptions (54 yards), which included his first career touchdown catch. Marshall broke several tackles during a 65-yard kickoff return in the second quarter, immediately following the Bengals’ first touchdown. The return set up a Jets’ touchdown, giving them a 13-10 lead.

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Jets notes: Todd Bowles plays it safe (Andy Vasquez) The Record September 12, 2016

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/jets/jets-notes-todd-bowles-plays-it-safe-1.1658622

Bowles' decisions

The offense moved inside the 10-yard line twice in the fourth quarter, and had short-yardage opportunities to score or continue the drives. But both times, coach Todd Bowles elected to kick.

Trailing, 20-16, early in the fourth quarter the Jets got down to 1-yard line. But Matt Forte was stuffed on a run up the middle for a loss of a yard, and on third-and-2 Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an incomplete pass. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Bowles elected to kick with 11:29 remaining to make it 20-19.

"You saw the [plays] before, we took a step backwards," Bowles said. "It's better to make the kick as opposed to going for it.

On the Jets' next drive, still behind, 20-19, the Jets got to the 6-yard line. But on fourth-and-1 from the 6, Bowles elected to kick again.

"You want to take the lead," Bowles said. "If you have a chance to take the lead, you have to take the lead. We thought our defense would hold up and stop them."

It didn't work out that way. But as poor as the Jets offense was in the red zone Sunday, going for it might not have worked either.

Meaningful anniversary

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The Jets marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11 with an emotional pregame ceremony. It included a moment of silence, a taped message from President Obama, and an American flag the size of the football field.

All players, for both teams, stood for the national anthem.

And once play began, it felt like a playoff game at MetLife Stadium.

"It was very emotional," CB Darrelle Revis said. "[Sunday] was electric. The crowd was very into the game. We felt as a team that it was a letdown [Sunday] for New York City and New Jersey [that we lost]."

Injury updates

Linebacker David Harris (shoulder) started and played, avoiding his first missed game since 2008. … Rookie OLB Jordan Jenkins (calf) was inactive. … Rookie LB Darron Lee left during the fourth quarter with a knee injury, but he returned for the final drive. … Safety Calvin Pryor left the game in the first quarter and went back to the locker room, but no injury was disclosed. He returned in the second quarter. "Got caught with a nice blindside hit [Sunday]," Pryor wrote on Twitter. "I'm good tho."

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Jets' Revis gets torched by Green (Jeff Roberts) The Record September 12, 2016

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/football/revis-gets-torched-by-green-1.1658615

EAST RUTHERFORD — The best cornerback of his generation just stared out into space.

Darrelle Revis then rested his hands on his hips and gently shook his head as A.J. Green celebrated behind him.

He was frustrated. Confused. Torched.

Revis had expected safety help as Green sprinted past him to the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. But no help was coming.

And no help was coming most of Sunday for Revis — beaten several times by Green — or the Jets secondary in a bitter 23-22 season-opening loss to the Bengals.

"I can take a punch on the chin," Revis said. "He had a great game today. … They said they’ve been watching film of me all off-season."

Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards and that 54-yard touchdown, targeted 13 times. Revis was covering him for most of those receptions.

Green beat him long (on that bomb) and short (on curls and screens). And he set up Mike Nugent’s game-winning 47-yard field goal with 0:54 remaining with an 11-yard catch against Revis.

Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton shredded the Jets secondary overall for 366 passing yards, completing 77 percent (23-for-30) of his throws despite being sacked seven times. That performance included pass plays of 54, 54 and 49 yards.

Revis blamed the Green touchdown on "busted coverage."

"We do a lot of communication back there, a lot of things that we change up," he said. "It was a busted coverage, and we let one slip away from us."

Safety Marcus Gilchrist, who appeared to have been frozen by Dalton’s play-action fake as well as a fake end-around on the play, pointed to "miscommunication."

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"That’s what happens when everybody’s not on the same page," Gilchrist said. "You give up big plays when everybody’s not on the same page."

He added: "It’s hard enough playing an opponent. When you start beating yourself, making mistakes, that stuff will kill you."

The Jets’ coverage troubles extend beyond just one play.

Green, selected to the Pro Bowl in all five of his seasons, is an elite receiver. He has averaged 83 receptions and 1,234 yards per season in his career.

But Revis, 31, did not look like an elite cornerback covering him. Green’s 180 yards were the third-most by a receiver in game when defended by the seven-time Pro Bowler. The performance will only fuel the whispers of Revis’ decline.

He struggled at times last season. He talked openly in training camp about the inevitability of switching to safety at some point.

Buffalo’s Sammy Watkins burned Revis for 11 catches and 136 yards in last year’s regular-season finale, a loss that eliminated the Jets from the playoffs.

Guess who the Jets face in just four days? Watkins and the Bills.

"You got to put that on the secondary," Revis said of the loss. "We can’t give up big plays. We definitely can’t."

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NEWSDAY

Jets fall to Bengals in opener on late field goal (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday September 11, 2016

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-fall-to-bengals-in-opener-on-late-field-goal-1.12301145

Their faces said it all.

The win was there for the taking, but instead of seizing the moment, the Jets could only lament their missed opportunities.

For all of their talent and high-priced acquisitions, they came up small Sunday. They began 2016 the same way they ended last season: frustrated and angry.

A blocked field goal. A missed extra point. Red-zone regression. Sloppy secondary play. All of it culminated in a 23-22 loss to the Bengals and a deflating start for Todd Bowles’ team.

This was supposed to be a statement game against a perennial playoff team. But with a difficult schedule ahead, Thursday night’s matchup with AFC East rival Buffalo just became even more critical.

The Jets hadn’t lost a season opener since 2010, the last year they made it to the playoffs, when Rex Ryan was their coach. Now they’ll have to prove they can defeat the Bills’ defensive mastermind and speedster Sammy Watkins on the road in order to keep from falling to 0-2. Ryan beat them twice last year.

“We can’t sulk too long,” safety Marcus Gilchrist said. “We’ll let it marinate for the rest of the night. I’ll give myself ’til midnight. When midnight hits, I’m on to Buffalo.”

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The game started as well as he and the Jets could have hoped, with both the offense and defense clicking. But the fast start soon fizzled.

Before long, the miscues began to mount. A.J. Green (12 catches, 180 yards) schooled Bowles’ secondary, while his battered quarterback Andy Dalton found a way to keep the score close. Not even seven sacks — including five in the first half — were enough to keep Dalton and the Bengals off balance for long. And in the end, it was former Jet Mike Nugent’s 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left that gave the Bengals the edge.

“That was the poorest execution I’ve seen . . . in the red zone, since I’ve been here,” said Brandon Marshall, who had only 32 receiving yards.

“I left opportunities out there,” said teammate Nick Folk, whose blocked field goal and missed extra point in the first half kept the Bengals in the game. “I feel pretty bad about it.”

“It probably wasn’t one of my better games,” admitted cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was beaten on Green’s 54-yard TD.

The defensive line’s standout performance and Matt Forte’s strong debut (155 all-purpose yards) did little to soften the blow for the Jets.

The offense, which was No. 1 in red-zone efficiency last year, scored only two touchdowns on five red-zone trips. “That’s what hurts the most,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was 19 of 35 for 189 yards, two TDs and an interception with 40 seconds remaining.

But perhaps more alarming than their sputtering offense was their porous secondary. According to ESPN, Green’s 180 receiving yards were the third-most by a receiver against a Revis secondary (Wes Welker, 192 in 2009; Randy Moss, 183 in 2007).

Green had no trouble finding a comfortable spot on “Revis Island,” but miscommunication on the part of the secondary complicated matters. Bowles and Revis acknowledged a busted coverage led to Green’s big score, but both refused to delve any deeper.

“We’ll have to watch the film and see the overall coverages and see what happened,” Bowles said, when asked to give an assessment of Revis’ play against Green.

Gilchrist appeared to be yelling in the vicinity of cornerback Marcus Williams on the Green touchdown. “That’s what happens when everybody’s not on the same page,’’ Gilchrist said. “You give up big plays when everybody’s not on the same page. It’s hard enough playing an opponent. When you start beating yourself, making mistakes, that stuff will kill you.”

Monday’s film review will only show what was obvious on Sunday: The Jets are very much a work in progress and they have plenty of issues to address. By Thursday night.

But linebacker David Harris provided a sliver of optimism.

“We’re not that far away from where we want to be,” he said. “Unfortunately, we gave up too many (big plays) today, and all we can do is go out there and try not to do it (against Buffalo).”

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Nick Folk’s miscues leave door open for Bengals to steal win (Colin Stephenson) Newsday September 11, 2016

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/nick-folk-s-miscues-leave-door-open-for-bengals-to-steal-win-1.12301765

Daily Clips Cont.

12 | P a g e

Nick Folk made the field goal that put the Jets ahead with 3:23 left in Sunday’s season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium. But that lead didn’t hold up. The Bengals drove 55 yards and Mike Nugent kicked a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left to give visiting Cincinnati a 23-22 win.

However, Folk knows it was his kicking misadventures that left the door open for the Bengals to steal the victory. Although he did make three field goals in the game, he also missed an extra point for the first time in his career and had another field goal blocked. Both of those miscues ended up being costly.

“At that end, the wind was pretty tricky,’’ Folk said of the missed extra point, his first after 312 successful tries. “You had to hit really clean balls all day. I didn’t hit a really clean ball; it went right. The wind kind of ate it up.’’

Folk said the wind was worse than usual in the stadium and that he was aware of it during the pregame warmup.

“That end was — that was a wind that we hadn’t had here in a long time,’’ he said. “Most of the time, it’s a little bit less than that, and especially at the end zones.’’

The miss was in the east end of the stadium, where Folk said the wind was blowing in, and left to right. His kick went wide right. It came in the second quarter, on the Jets’ second touchdown, after he’d already had a 22-yard field goal blocked by defensive end Margus Hunt at the other end late in the first quarter.

The Bengals were leading 10-7 when Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Eric Decker for a touchdown to put the Jets up 13-10 with 9:38 left in the half. Folk missed the extra point that would have put the Jets up by four. He did make a 45-yard field goal on the Jets’ next possession at the same end of the field (“I hit that 45 much cleaner going that way,’’ he said) to extend to a 16-10 lead.

But Nugent kicked a field goal at the other end right before halftime to cut into the deficit and Cincinnati scored late in the third quarter to take a 20-16 lead. Folk then kicked two short field goals, from 20 and 23 yards, to put the Jets up 22-20 before Nugent came back to kick the game-winner — at the same troublesome end of the field.

Jets fall to Bengals in opener on late FG

A 10-year NFL veteran, Folk, 31, said he never worried that the missed extra point would come back to haunt the Jets later in the game.

“No, no,’’ he said. “You can’t think like that. You’ve just got to keep moving on, keep working. I left opportunities out there, I feel pretty bad about it. We’ve gotta move on. We got a game [against Buffalo] in four days.’’

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Bengals edge Jets despite allowing 7 sacks (Brian Heyman) Newsday September 11, 2016

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/bengals-edge-jets-despite-allowing-7-sacks-1.12301951

Andy Dalton kept getting a close view of the pristine green turf at MetLife Stadium. The Jets kept flinging the Cincinnati quarterback down to field level, sacking him seven times, six by their relentless and talent-heavy line.

“Our quarterback will not make it through the season if we give up seven sacks a week,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

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One of the Jets’ best pass rushers, Sheldon Richardson, didn’t even play. Yet seven sacks weren’t enough to power a victory. Dalton hit on 23 of 30 passes for 366 yards and a touchdown, former Jet Mike Nugent drilled three field goals and Nick Folk missed a PAT. So Cincinnati kicked off the season Sunday by edging the Jets, 23-22.

Since the merger in 1970, teams that have allowed at least seven sacks in a game have won only 12.7 percent of the time, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

“It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s a team game,” Leonard Williams said. “You need everybody there to win the game. There were small mistakes that we made here and there that cost us the game.”

Williams managed only three sacks as a rookie after arriving as the sixth overall pick. He nearly matched last year’s total with 2 1⁄2 on Sunday.

“It feels good, but I don’t want to let it get to me,” Williams said. “I want to just keep playing, just keep building up on the season, keep going forward. I just feel more comfortable. Last year, I had a lot of anxiety and pressure.”

Steve McLendon was signed to fill the void left by run-stuffing nose tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison’s move to the Giants. Harrison had 1 1⁄2 sacks in four seasons with the Jets. McLendon, who also can play other spots on the line, had one sack last season with Pittsburgh. He beat both totals, taking down Dalton twice.

“He’s a guy that’s always talking, talking and talking about what he’s going to do, and then he actually came out and did what he was supposed to do,” said Lorenzo Mauldin, the Jets’ edge-rushing linebacker. “He’s a man of his word.”

Mauldin set the sack-happy tone on the first drive, forcing a punt. The $86-million man, Muhammad Wilkerson, also contributed 1 1⁄2 sacks.

“This is a great team, a great defense,” McLendon said. “We’re just trying to do the little things to get better each and every week. I think we will do it. It hurts to lose, but now it’s time to get ready for Buffalo.”

The pass defense still needs tightening after yielding plays of 54, 54, 49 and 32 yards. One of the 54-yarders went for a touchdown by A.J. Green. “We’ve got to do better on the back end,” cornerback Buster Skrine said.

Besides the sacks, the line helped hold the Bengals to 57 yards rushing. And now it gets Richardson back after his one-game suspension.

“That’s going to just create competition amongst all of us,” Williams said. “He’s going to make all of us go harder. We’ve seen what we can do without him, and we know that we can do more with him.”

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Darrelle Revis, Jets secondary have hands full with Bengals’ A.J. Green (Neil Best) Newsday September 11, 2016

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/neil-best/darrelle-revis-jets-secondary-have-hands-full-with-bengals-a-j-green-1.12301898

Truism No. 1: It’s only one game, and many generations of NFL fans have been led astray by assuming the worst — or best — after their team’s opener. So let’s hold off on scheduling the Darrelle Revis retirement news conference, shall we?

Daily Clips Cont.

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Truism No. 2: Even after only one game, it is entirely reasonable for Jets fans to wonder if Darrelle Revis ever again will be the superstar cornerback they have known and trusted.

Oh, and this: After being fricasseed by the Bengals’ A.J. Green Sunday in a 23-22 loss at MetLife Stadium, the next visitor to Revis Island come Thursday night will be an old nemesis in the Bills’ Sammy Watkins.

When it was over on Sunday, Green had 12 receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown — mostly with Revis assigned to him — but Revis did what cornerbacks must do in trying to put it all in perspective, and put it all behind him.

He did admit the obvious, though: “It probably wasn’t one of my better games.”

When asked whether he believed Green had gotten the better of him, he said, “He had a great game. I can take a punch on the chin . . . They game-planned a lot. They said they’d been watching film of me the whole offseason.”

Green apparently left his cocky-NFL-receiver handbook at home because he took the high road, saying of Revis, “The guy has nothing else to prove. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, for sure. I’m trying to get where he is.”

It was a strange afternoon for the Jets defense, which enjoyed a spectacular effort from the linemen and a disjointed effort from the secondary, which yielded two 54-yard pass completions and one 49-yarder.

Revis hardly was the only one at fault, including on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to Green. True, Green ran right by Revis and had extra time to wait for the ball to land.

But there was more to it than that, as evidenced by safety Marcus Gilchrist standing in the middle of the field pointing somewhere while Green and Revis ran past him.

“Busted coverage,” Revis said.

“Miscommunication,” Gilchrist said, a word he used any time he was asked for specifics.

Green’s final dagger essentially won the game. The Bengals, trailing 22-20, had a third-and-13 at the Jets’ 40 — out of field goal range — with just over a minute left when Green lined up on the right side opposite Revis.

Approximately 100 percent of the people in the stadium and watching on TV expected Dalton to look for Green. That includes Green himself.

“Oh yeah, I knew it was coming to me,” he said. “It had to.”

Result: an 11-yard completion that facilitated Mike Nugent’s 47-yard game-winner.

“He ran a route like he was doing a slant and broke it back out,” Revis said. “I tried to execute it the best I could and he made a play. I tackled him before the first down, and that was it.”

For most of Revis’ career, everyone knew the ball had to NOT go where he was. But times change.

The loss certainly was a group effort, complete with a blocked 22-yard field goal try, a missed extra point, red-zone sputters, a mediocre outing for Ryan Fitzpatrick and a strangely quiet day for Brandon Marshall.

But by late in the game, “A.J. Green” was trending nationally on Twitter. Not a good sign for the guy covering him.

Revis said the Jets expected the Bengals to move Green all over the field, which they did, and Revis mostly followed. “They spread us out,” he said. “They disguised a lot of formations. They would do a lot of shifts and motions.”

Daily Clips Cont.

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What will all of that mean on Thursday? Who knows? See Truism No. 1 for hope. See Truism No. 2 for dread.

Revis admitted it was a tough day for the secondary but said he is not concerned, about himself or his colleagues.

“I definitely have confidence in the secondary that we have,” he said.

The rest of us are free to wonder.

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Jets Q&A: Versatile Matt Forte excels in debut for Jets (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday September 11, 2016

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-q-a-versatile-matt-forte-excels-in-debut-for-jets-1.12302036

How did Matt Forte do in his Jets debut?

He looked as good as advertised, accumulating 155 yards in his first regular-season game in green and white. But his stat line was of little solace after Sunday’s 23-22 loss to the Bengals.

“I expect to play well and to do things like that,” said Forte, who had 96 yards on 22 carries and 59 yards on seven catches. “But you don’t get the win, it’s all out the window.”

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said he felt on the same page with his new No. 1 running back, adding: “He’s a pro’s pro.”

Coach Todd Bowles wasn’t in the mood to discuss the production of Forte or his backup, Bilal Powell (41 yards on four carries). “You have to understand this about me: If we lose the game, nobody played well,” Bowles said.

How scary can the defensive line be when Sheldon Richardson returns Thursday?

Very.

“Oh, yeah,” linebacker David Harris said. “We can’t wait for Sheldon to get back. I know he wants to be out here. He’ll be back with us tomorrow and I’m pretty sure he’ll be flying around like he always does.”

The defense did just fine without the tackle, who served a one-game suspension for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy last season. The Jets sacked Andy Dalton five times in the first half and seven times overall.

Why did Bowles settle for a late field goal instead of going for it?

With the Jets trailing 20-19 and less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bowles elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the Bengals’ 6. Why?

“If you have a chance to take the lead, you have to take the lead,” he said. “We thought our defense would hold up and stop them. You saw the third-down play before. We took a step backward. It’s better to make the kick as opposed to going for it.”

It turned out that he guessed wrong, as his defense gave way.

Bowles also settled for a field goal earlier in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-goal at the 2. After a 2-yard run by Fitzpatrick, Forte lost a yard on a run before Fitzpatrick threw incomplete to Eric Decker on third

Daily Clips Cont.

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down. Nick Folk kicked a 20-yard field goal to cut the Jets’ deficit to 20-19 with 11:26 left. Asked if he had considered going for it there, Bowles said no.

Was there a chance Harris wouldn’t play?

It wasn’t until Sunday morning’s team breakfast that Bowles gave the middle linebacker the OK. Though it seemed likely that he would face the Bengals, Harris officially was “questionable” for the game because of a shoulder injury he suffered against the Giants in the preseason.

“I pretty much talked to him at breakfast this morning. Shoulder felt good,” said Harris, who hasn’t missed a game since 2008.

How good did his shoulder feel? “Good enough to play,” he said, smiling.

And during the game? “Good enough to play,” he repeated playfully.

As quarterback of the defense, Harris is known as the “glue” that keeps the unit together, Bowles has said. But on Friday, Harris raised doubts about his status after he divulged that his shoulder still was “sore and tight” after practice.

Asked how his shoulder felt after playing four quarters of football, he said, laughing: “Good enough to go home.”

Any injuries we should know about?

Safety Calvin Pryor (unknown) and rookie linebacker Darron Lee (knee) left the game briefly. They eventually returned, and Bowles reported no injuries after the game.

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ESPN NEW YORK

Bad day by Darrelle Revis, invisible day for Brandon Marshall -- and Jets lose (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York September 11, 2016

http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/63042/bad-day-by-darrelle-revis-invisible-day-for-brandon-marshall-and-jets-lose

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets played well enough to beat the Cincinnati Bengals but suffered a crushing opening day defeat, 23-22, because three of their most reliable players failed to deliver in key moments Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

We're talking about Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall and Nick Folk.

The Jets are a win-now team, led by many accomplished veterans, including Marshall and Revis. They needed them to rise up in a taut game between two defensive-minded teams, and they disappeared on a hot and emotional day with the 9/11 anniversary as the backdrop.

A.J. Green turned Revis Island into a Club Med resort, catching 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. It was easily one of the worst games of Revis' illustrious career.

"It probably wasn't one of my better games," he said, later adding, "I can take a punch of the chin. He had a great game."

Revis was involved in the coverage on Green's 54-yard touchdown in the first half, but it wasn't entirely his fault. He was expecting deep safety help, but there was a miscommunication between safety Marcus Gilchrist and nickelback Marcus Williams. With no help, Revis was beaten easily.

Daily Clips Cont.

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It was a poor job by the coaches. They talked about tweaking their defensive scheme, hoping to keep the Bengals off balance by changing up the coverage on Green. They said Revis wouldn't be solely responsible for Green, but it sure looked like it was the old Revis role, meaning he was on Green the entire game. The Bengals foiled the Jets' plan by moving him around the formation, something they hadn't done in the past.

"They came in with a great game plan and they attacked us," said Revis, who was beaten for 11 yards on a critical third down that set up Mike Nugent's winning field goal in the final minute.

It's premature to cast Revis, 31, as a washed-up former great -- Green called him a first-ballot Hall of Famer -- but there's definitely reason for concern. With seven sacks of Andy Dalton, the Jets should've won a laugher, but the leaky coverage by Revis & Co. was their undoing.

Conversely, the Bengals did a great job on Marshall, effectively removing him from the game -- three catches for 32 yards. Clearly, the Jets can't function without Marshall. His BFF, Ryan Fitzpatrick (77.0 passer rating), struggled without his go-t0 guy. In 17 games, the Jets are 2-4 when he catches fewer than six passes.

Marshall doesn't get a free pass -- he had a costly drop late in the game -- but he seemed ignored at times. He said he wasn't doubled by the Bengals, so why was he invisible? He pointed to the effective ground game, saying, "That's what we led with today."

Indeed, the Jets rushed for 152 yards (96 by Matt Forte), but it didn't add up to much because they were only 2-for-5 in the red zone -- "the poorest execution in the red zone I've ever seen," Marshall said.

And Folk? He missed the first extra point of his career (he had been 312-for-312) and had a chip-shot field goal blocked -- four gimme points that would've lifted the Jets to a victory.

The Jets did some good things, but they can't win without Marshall catching passes. Or Revis playing like Revis. Or Folk making basic kicks.

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NEW YORK POST

How A.J. Green made a mockery of Revis Island (Howie Kussoy) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/how-a-j-green-made-a-mockery-of-revis-island/

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis may never have looked worse than he did in Sunday’s season-opening loss, mostly because few receivers in the league could ever look as good as A.J. Green did in the Bengals’ 23-22 win at MetLife Stadium.

Green turned Alcatraz into Aruba, transforming Revis Island into an inviting getaway as the receiver finished with 12 catches on 13 targets for 180 yards and a touchdown. It was Green’s most receptions since Nov. 23, 2014 and his most receiving yards since last September.

“He continues to amaze me … to watch him do the things that he can do, especially with one of the best cornerbacks on him all day, it was definitely a performance [for] the record books,” Bengals running back Jeremy Hill said.

The much-anticipated, one-on-one matchup between Green and Revis saw little action in the first quarter, but soon revealed the gap between the Jets’ top cornerback and one of the league’s top receivers.

Daily Clips Cont.

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With the Jets leading 7-3 early in the second quarter, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton unleashed a deep pass down the middle of the field to Green, who ran at least two steps in front of Revis before hauling in a 54-yard touchdown.

The heavily awaited showdown became a one-sided beatdown from there.

“The whole week, everyone was saying, ‘A.J. versus Darrelle,’” Green said. “Revis is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer and it’s my honor going up against him. I was just trying to make plays anytime the ball came my way.

“Andy gave me opportunities. He puts me in great situations when he sees a matchup that he likes. That’s what I have to do — win those one-on-one matchups when they present themselves.”

Green won every duel, making incredible circus catches and game-changing runs after receptions, but the Bengals still trailed 22-20 with 3:18 remaining. Starting the game’s biggest drive from their own 16-yard line, Green made two catches and drew a penalty to bring Cincinnati to midfield.

Then, with the Bengals facing third-and-13 from the Jets’ 40-yard line, Green made an 11-yard reception to set up Mike Nugent’s game-winning field goal with less than a minute to play.

“I wouldn’t want to have anyone else” Dalton said. “When he had his opportunities, he made the plays and that’s what we expect from him and what he expects from himself. That’s why he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL, if not the best.”

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Todd Bowles in no mood to talk about Jets’ one offensive star (Brian Costello) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/todd-bowles-in-no-mood-to-talk-about-jets-one-offensive-star/

The Jets debut of Matt Forte was one of the positives the team could take away from Sunday’s 23-22 loss to the Bengals at MetLife Stadium.

Forte ran for 96 yards on 22 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards, giving the Jets’ offense an interesting dimension for this season.

“He’s a pro’s pro,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “He does a really nice job of setting up blocks. Sometimes he’ll set up for a fake play-action or boot. Getting to see him on some of those runs, set those guys up and set up his blocks, he does a really nice job of that.”

The Jets signed Forte to a three-year, $12 million deal in March as a free agent. They brought him in to replace Chris Ivory, who left for the Jaguars. Forte missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. Sunday’s game was the first time he played extensively with the first-team offense.

Forte showed shiftiness in the backfield and his catching ability out of it.

Jets coach Todd Bowles was asked about the running game, but was not in the mood to toss around bouquets.

“You have to understand this about me: if we lose the game, nobody played well,” Bowles said.

The Jets went with a rotation at right tackle Sunday. Ben Ijalana started, but alternated series with Brent Qvale. Those two competed in training camp to replace the injured Breno Giacomini, but Bowles did not settle on a winner.

The offensive line as a whole played well, giving up one sack and opening holes for 152 rushing yards.

Daily Clips Cont.

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“They did a good job,” Fitzpatrick said. “The way we ran the ball in the second half those guys did an excellent job I thought. The communication was pretty good. They gave us some weird looks and some tricky stuff in the first half, but those guys were dialed in on all the looks and I thought we did a good job with that.”

Linebacker David Harris played after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Harris said he told Bowles at breakfast Sunday that he could play. He suffered a bruised shoulder two weeks ago in the preseason game with the Giants.

“I felt good enough to play today,” Harris said when asked if he thinks this injury will bother him all year. “We’ll see.”

Rookie outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins (calf) was inactive.

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Jets have to realize who Darrelle Revis is — and who he isn’t (George Willis) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/jets-have-to-realize-who-darrelle-revis-is-and-who-he-isnt/

Revis Island became a destination point Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. And by the time Bengals receiver A.J. Green was done torching the Jets, you figured he deserved a timeshare.

Gone are the days when Darrelle Revis shutting down the opponent’s best receiver was a given. Green caught 12 of the 13 passes targeted his way for a whopping 180 yards and a touchdown, helping the Bengals to a 23-22 victory over the Jets in the season opener for both teams.

Not all of Green’s catches came against Revis and everyone on the Jets agreed the 54-yard touchdown pass Green caught in the second quarter with Revis giving chase was a busted coverage. But none of Green’s grabs was more important than his catch for 11 yards when he was one-on-one against Revis with 58 seconds left in the game.

He snared an Andy Dalton pass along the sideline and shook Revis just enough to lunge to the Jets’ 29. It set up what proved to be the game-winning field goal, a 47-yarder by former Jet Mike Nugent.

“I can take a punch on the chin,” Revis said. “[Green] had a great game today. They said they’ve been watching film of me all offseason. They definitely came in with a good game plan and were able to attack our defense in a lot of ways.”

The Jets had many areas they could point to for why they lost a game they easily could have won. A blocked 22-yard field goal, a missed extra point, spotty play in the red zone and Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing an interception on the Jets’ final possession all proved critical.

But their secondary was horrific, allowing 366 receiving yards to the Bengals, who averaged 15.9 yards per reception. They had six completions of more than 20 yards, including two for 54 yards and another for 49. Many of those big plays came after the Jets’ defensive line had put the Bengals in long-yardage situations with one of the seven sacks collected on the day.

“You have to put that on the secondary,” Revis said. “We can’t give up big plays. We’re the last line of defense. We felt like the defensive line had a great game. They got to the quarterback as much as possible. Moving forward we just have to tighten some things up in the secondary and I think we’ll be fine.”

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The Jets were far from fine on Sunday when the crowd was electric and emotional after ceremonies commemorating the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now head coach Todd Bowles must quickly regroup his team and prepare for Rex Ryan’s Bills Thursday night in Buffalo.

“We felt as a team it was a letdown for New York City and Jersey as well,” Revis said of losing to the Bengals. “It was a big letdown. We lost by one. It was a tough-fought game, but we felt like we were dialed in this week. We have to let this one go. By midnight tonight we have to flush it down the toilet and focus on Buffalo. It’s a conference game and we let one slip by losing this game. We definitely have to have some more urgency this coming week especially with it being a short week.”

The game plan going in was never to have Revis isolated one-on-one with Green throughout the game. The Jets used a mixture of coverages and blame can be shared by Marcus Williams, Buster Skrine, Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist. Still Revis admitted: “It probably wasn’t one of my better games.”

He added, “We have to go back to the drawing board and correct some things and tighten some things up. On the back end there was a little bit of miscommunication on some plays here and there. At the same time we have to get back to the drawing board and tighten things up.”

They can start with that swinging door on Revis Island.

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The Jets defensive line is beyond the menace QBs feared (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/the-jets-defensive-line-is-beyond-the-menace-qbs-feared/

If you stood around the lockers of the Jets’ defensive linemen after Sunday’s season-opening 23-22 loss to the Bengals, you might have been left with the mistaken impression the Jets actually won the game.

In fairness, none of the Jets linemen was happy with the end result. But, in the “what-positives-do-you-take-out-of-this-loss?’’ category, the Jets front four stands at the top of the list.

In fact, somewhere in the deep recesses of statistical analysis, there has to be a percentage on how often teams that record seven sacks in a game lose games, and that number cannot be very high.

The Jets produced seven sacks, five in the first half, when it looked at times like they were going to run Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton right back to Cincinnati.

Jets second-year defensive end Leonard Williams, who had a terrific training camp and preseason, recorded 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries.

Steve McLendon, the former Steelers defensive tackle who was playing his first game as a Jet, had two sacks, three tackles for losses and two quarterback hurries.

Muhammad Wilkerson, the Jets top defensive lineman who just signed a mega-contract in the offseason, had 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries.

What makes this performance look even better is the fact the Jets did this without Sheldon Richardson, who was serving a one-game suspension Sunday but will be back for Thursday’s game against the Bills.

“When I got here and was in the OTAs [organized team activities] and I saw these guys with Leo [Williams], Sheldon and [rookie Lawrence] Thomas — and Mo wasn’t even in OTAs because he was rehabbing [his broken leg] — I was like, ‘Man, we got something special here,’ ’’ McLendon said. “We’ve got a common goal here: a championship. That’s all we’re thinking about. Unfortunately, we lost this one, but we’ve got a short week.

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“We’ll help our offense more. We’ll get off the field, get the ball back to the offense. We’ll do the little things. We’ll get back in the lab and see the film, but it’s on to Buffalo.’’

Williams’ sack production on Sunday nearly matched the three sacks he had his entire rookie year in 2015.

“It feels good, but I don’t want to let it get to me,’’ Williams said. “I want to keep playing, keep building it for the season. We’ve got Sheldon back [this] week and we’re all excited about that. We’ve seen what we can do without him and we know that we can do more with him.

“We know what we have and we came out and proved it [Sunday]. We were definitely in a groove. We’ve been feeling comfortable playing with each other in camp, we know what we expect out of this D-line and we came out and went full tilt [Sunday].’’

Jets outside linebacker Mike Catapano, who started Sunday, called the Jets’ defensive line “the most talented bunch in the league; they’re a special bunch.’’

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Mike Nugent twists the knife on hurting Jets fans (Howie Kussoy) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/mike-nugent-twists-the-knife-on-hurting-jets-fans/

Finally, the Jets got to see what a difference Mike Nugent could make.

More than a decade after the Jets infamously used a second-round pick to take the kicker who had become a glaring symbol of the franchise’s much-maligned draft history, Nugent revived the animosity of so many in the Meadowlands by drilling a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left to give the Bengals a 23-22 season-opening win over his former team Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Lining up for the deciding kick, Nugent couldn’t hear the screams of the fans who hoped he would fail as spectacularly as he had in their memory. He could only feel the pressure of a moment that never gets old.

“I’d be lying if I said there [wasn’t] excitement and a little bit of nerves here and there,” Nugent said. “I’m probably done with the game if that ever goes away.”

Nugent had made two field goals in the first half — including a rushed 21-yard attempt as the second quarter expired — but missed a 52-yard kick early in the fourth quarter that allowed the Jets to retake the lead.

When Andy Dalton and A.J. Green drove the Bengals 55 yards down the field, Nugent, 34, was thankful, and ready to do what the Jets imagined he would do for them for so many years when they took him with their first pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

“It was one of those hits I wanted back and I was grateful for the opportunity to go back out there,” Nugent said. “You know it hit off your foot well. It was one of those ones, I was happy the way it came off.

“Andy coming up to me and saying that we’re gonna take care of it, it’s good that guys are like we don’t care about the missed one, make the next one.”

Nugent, who spent his four years in the league with the Jets and joined the Bengals in 2010, following stops at Tampa Bay and Arizona, had only played at MetLife Stadium once before, but still found it strange to return to the place where his career started.

“It was a place that I called home for four years,” Nugent said. “Just seeing the colors, just seeing the scouting report and the New York logo on there, it is a different feeling.”

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When Nugent left, the feeling from the fans was the same as it ever was.

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The brutal reality of Nick Folk: Kickers have nowhere to hide (Mark Cannizzaro) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/the-brutal-reality-of-nick-folk-kickers-have-nowhere-to-hide/

Mathematics can be cruel for NFL kickers, whose existence is so black and white with little gray area in between that rarely is the result of their performance up for debate.

Kickers either make or they miss.

The mistakes players at other positions make on the field can be sometimes difficult to quantify. Take Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, for example. He appeared to be beaten by Bengals receiver A.J. Green for a 54-yard touchdown while he seemingly was in one-on-one coverage in Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium.

There was talk after the game, however, Revis was supposed to have some safety help on that play. Did that talk come from people (including Revis) trying to protect the biggest star on their defense? Possibly. Or maybe there was supposed to be some help. Maybe the 180 yards on Green’s 12 catches was only partially on Revis, or maybe it was all on him.

Jets kicker Nick Folk’s day was much more cut and dried. He had a 22-yard field goal blocked by Bengals defensive end Margus Hunt with 3:42 remaining in the first quarter. That chip-shot field goal should have given the Jets a 10-0 lead.

Then, with 9:38 remaining in the second quarter, Folk missed the extra point — the first of his career after he’d made 312 in a row since entering the league nine years ago.

The final score in Sunday’s season opener was Bengals 23, Jets 22.

So do the math: If Folk made the extra point, the 47-yard winning field goal Bengals kicker Mike Nugent made with 54 seconds remaining in the game would have sent it into overtime. If Folk made the chip-shot field goal in the first quarter, the Bengals would have needed to score a touchdown on that final drive.

Kickers cannot hide from the math.

Was Folk the reason the Jets lost the game? Hardly. Revis played perhaps his worst game as a Jet. The secondary, in general, gave up far too many chunk plays for huge gains. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked more like a $2 million quarterback than he did a $12 million quarterback. Star receiver Brandon Marshall dropped a big pass over the middle with the Jets desperately trying to come back after the Nugent field goal.

But at the end of the day, it was the four points Folk failed to convert that were the mathematical difference.

“I feel like I let the team down,” Folk said. “I take it on my shoulders. If we make the extra point and the field goal, [the Bengals] need a touchdown at the end [to win]. That would have put us up six (points). So it’s just frustrating on my end.

“I left opportunities out there, and I feel pretty bad about it. But we’ve got a game in four days [at Buffalo], and I’ve got to bounce back pretty quickly.’’

Folk said he didn’t know what happened on the blocked field goal, saying, “On those short ones, all I’m thinking is getting the ball up as quick as possible because there’s not too much room for error as far as left or right.”

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On the extra-point miss, he said, “I just didn’t hit it as clean as I needed to. On that end, the wind was pretty tricky [Sunday]. I was talking to ‘Nuge’ [Nugent] after the game, and he said same thing — that his 52-yard [field goal miss in the second half] almost didn’t even get there. He said it was a tough day.”

Not as tough as it was for Folk, who until he gets to kick again against the Bills on Thursday night, will be haunted by the mathematics of the result of those four points he failed to produce.

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Have Jets already found moment that’ll haunt them all year? (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/have-jets-already-found-moment-thatll-haunt-them-all-year/

Well what would Nick Folk know, anyway? This is only his seventh season as a Jet. He doesn’t know. He hasn’t seen. He hasn’t been around the block a time or three. You have. You know better. You knew better.

“No, you can’t think like that,” Folk said in the quiet of the Jets’ locker room, maybe a half-hour after they had all trudged off the field at MetLife Stadium, 23-22 losers in a season-opener buzzkill against the Bengals that was every bit as inevitable as it was infuriating.

He’d been asked the question every Jets fan in creation wanted to know because every Jets fan in creation understood the moment Folk gagged on a pair of first-half kicks. Those kicks came back to haunt the home team. Only Folk wasn’t buying. He wasn’t biting.

“You can’t think like that,” Folk insisted. “We made the next three field goals.”

Folk was being balanced, and he was being reasonable, and if we were talking about something other than football, other than something that is only described best in visceral terms, then he would have been absolutely correct.

But he was talking about football, and he was talking about the Jets, and the dual groans the 78,160 in attendance emitted when he had one 22-yard field goal blocked and shanked an extra point should have been enough to tell him something.

Of course this would come back to haunt them.

“We lost,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “You never let one get away. You either win them or you lose them. We lost this one. We have to let it go and move on.”

Things were going so well, too — you might say they were going too well. The defense held the Bengals to a three-and-out on the first series of the season. The offense responded with a glorious 10-play, 78-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. The defense, accepting the challenge, turned Cincinnati over, Marcus Williams picking off Andy Dalton, setting the Jets up with splendid field position.

MetLife was a discotheque!

“Maybe if we punch it in there,” Ryan Fitzpatrick said later, “things are a little different.”

They didn’t punch it in there. The drive stalled 4 yards shy of the end zone. Ah, well: a 10-0 lead still is a pretty good place to be, in the big pic—

The kick was blocked.

MetLife was a morgue. It has seen this script before. The missed extra point later on only exacerbated the issue. And the blown chances in the red zone. And the big plays allowed by the secondary …

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“Any loss is frustrating,” wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “It really doesn’t matter the situation. A loss is a loss.”

Maybe. Maybe not. The Jets know as well as anyone the gauntlet that awaits, the quick turnaround before a Thursday night date in Buffalo, the horrific first six games on the schedule, the fact there are only two more home games after this one between now and the second week in November.

You could argue they still could be in position to make a playoff run if they only survive this Cincinnati-Buffalo-Kansas City-Seattle-Pittsburgh-Arizona stretch at 2-4 — which underlines just how essential winning winnable games is. And this wasn’t just winnable. It started out as something straight out of the textbook.

And ended straight out of a Stephen King book.

There were things to be excited about, to be sure: The defensive line played on a ridiculously high level. The running game was terrific. The offensive line played well. It’s only a matter of time before return man Jalin Marshall takes one to the house. But it was Bowles who summarized all of that perfectly:

“You have to understand this about me,” he said. “If we lose a game, nobody played well.”

In the end, that’s the worrisome part, not the celestial karma the blown kicks invited, not the past heartbreaks, not the paranoia so prevalent in the folks who root for this team, all of it well-earned. This is: The Jets still should have won the game and did not. And in this season especially, the difference between 1-0 and 0-1 …

Well, it’s all the difference in the world.

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Report card: Can Jets defense get 2 different grades? (Brian Costello) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/report-card-can-jets-defense-get-2-different-grades/

Grades for the Jets’ 23-22 loss to the Bengals on Sunday:

Offense

The story of the game was the offense settling for field goals instead of touchdowns in the red zone. That happened three times, and it killed the Jets. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (19-of-35, 189 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was OK, but missed some open receivers. WRs Brandon Marshall (3 catches, 32 yards) and Eric Decker (2 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD) were invisible for long stretches. The run game was strong with Matt Forte (22 rushes, 96 yards) leading the way. The offensive line played a terrific game.

Grade: C

Defense

This is a difficult grade to give. The defensive line deserves an A+ after seven sacks, but the secondary gets an F after giving up huge plays all day long. CB Darrelle Revis was chewed up by A.J. Green, who had 12 catches for 180 yards and a 54-yard touchdown. QB Andy Dalton (23-of-30, 366 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) killed the Jets with deep balls. DE Leonard Williams (2.5 sacks) and DT Steve McLendon (2 sacks) led a ferocious pass rush.

Grade: C+

Special teams

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Nick Folk’s missed extra point and blocked field goal came back to hurt the Jets, but overall it was a pretty good day for this unit. Rookie punter Lachlan Edwards had three punts that averaged 51.3 yards, and he dropped one inside the 20. Jalin Marshall, another rookie, had a 65-yard kickoff return, showing the explosiveness that helped him make the team.

Grade: B-

Coaching

Chan Gailey had the magic touch last year in the red zone, but on Sunday his play-calling was terrible when the Jets got close to the end zone. They needed to get Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker more involved, the formula that worked last year. On defense, Todd Bowles’ group had no answers for A.J. Green. He should have been double-teamed on every play. Let someone else beat you.

Grade: D

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Jets throw away crucial chance in ill-fated kicking battle (Brian Costello) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/jets-start-season-where-they-left-off-absolute-heartbreak/

The Jets will be kicking themselves for letting their loss to the Bengals on Sunday come down to kicks.

The Jets settled for field goals three times in the red zone, had a field goal blocked and missed an extra point in a 23-22 season-opening loss to the Bengals at MetLife Stadium.

Bengals kicker Mike Nugent, a 2005 second-round pick of the Jets, hit a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left in the game to send the Jets to 0-1 for the first time since 2010.

“We had our opportunities,” Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “We were winning in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t shut the door at the end. I just think it’s a tough loss for us and we have to move on quickly.”

The Jets don’t have time to sulk. They face the Bills in Buffalo on Thursday night.

They better fix some things before seeing old friend Rex Ryan. On offense, the Jets — No. 1 in red zone efficiency last season — moved the ball pretty well, but sputtered near the goal line. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall (3 catches, 32 yards) and Eric Decker (2 catches, 37 yards, 1 TD) were invisible for long stretches. Fitzpatrick (19-of-35, 189 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) was not terrible, but he needs to improve if the Jets want to make a run at the playoffs.

On defense, the Jets sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (23-of-30, 366 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) a whopping seven times, but gave up passes of 54, 54 and 49 yards. Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green torched the Jets for 180 receiving yards on 12 catches, most of them against Jets star Darrelle Revis.

“It probably wasn’t one of my better games,” Revis said. “He had a great game. I can take a punch on the chin. They game-planned a lot. They said they had been watching film on me the whole offseason. They definitely came in with a great game plan and they attacked us a lot of ways.”

Normally, an 0-1 start would not be a reason to panic, but the Jets have a brutal opening schedule with five of their first six games against 2015 playoff teams and six of their first nine games on the road. Playing the Bengals at MetLife felt like one of the more winnable games in the first two months.

“I don’t think we were crisp overall,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “You’re not going to be sharp at a lot of things in the first game. I didn’t expect us to make the mistakes that we made on either side of the ball

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or on special teams. It was a team effort. It wasn’t a lack of crispness on one side or the other. We just made too many mistakes.”

In the first half, the Jets moved the ball well on two touchdown drives, but a blocked field goal and a missed extra point by Nick Folk ended up looming large when the game came down to one point.

“I feel like I let the team down,” Folk said.

The Bengals struggled to put together drives early, but hit a 54-yard pass to tight end C.J. Usomah that led to a field goal and another 54-yard pass to Green for a touchdown. Dalton was harassed by a relentless Jets defensive line led by Leonard Williams (2.5 sacks) and Steve McLendon (2 sacks).

The Jets held a 16-13 lead at halftime after a last-second field goal before halftime by the Bengals. Cincinnati took a 20-16 lead late in the third quarter on a Jeremy Hill 12-yard touchdown run.

It looked like the Jets’ rushing attack might take over the game on the final drive of the third quarter. Matt Forte (22 rushes, 96 yards, 5 catches, 59 yards) had runs of 13 and 8 yards to start the series. Bilal Powell then hit for runs of 16, 7 and 16 again on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Jets drove to the Bengals’ 1-yard line, but could not get in the end zone. Folk’s 20-yard field goal cut the Cincinnati lead to 20-19.

The Jets’ next possession was more pass-heavy but finished in similar fashion. The Jets drove to the Bengals’ 6, but again had to settle for a field goal. Folk’s 23-yarder gave the Jets a 22-20 lead with 3:25 to play. Instead of forcing the Bengals to need a touchdown to win the game, they only had to kick a field goal because of the Jets’ red-zone failures.

“That was the poorest execution I’ve ever seen on our side in the red zone since I’ve been here,” Marshall said.

The Bengals then put together a nine-play drive that included a 15-yard face-mask penalty by Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist to get in field-goal range. The final blow was a third-down catch by Green for 11 yards that made the kick a makeable 47-yarder for Nugent with 54 seconds left, giving the Bengals their first road win over the Jets since 1981.

A Josh Shaw interception of Fitzpatrick — after Marshall had dropped a big gainer to start the drive — with 40 seconds left sealed the game.

“Cincinnati is a playoff team; they go to the playoffs every year,” cornerback Buster Skrine said. “One thing our coach was preaching on all week was that they’re going to fight. They’re not going to let you go in there and just dominate. It’s going to be a dog fight the whole game. That’s how they won, with a minute left.’’

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One way for Jets to prove they’re over 2015 Bills debacle (Mike Vaccaro) New York Post September 11, 2016

http://nypost.com/2016/09/11/one-way-for-jets-to-prove-theyre-over-2015-bills-debacle/

Such is the lot of a True Believer, of a fan who invests so much of his soul in a professional football team, which has 16 chances every year to either stir your soul or break your heart. Such is the burden these fans bear, fans like you, who wear tough losses like a scar and a badge. Who suffer. Who agonize. Who keep coming back.

Who were there, all across a sleepless winter of 1981, replaying Richard Todd’s last-second throw into the arms of a Buffalo defender named Bill Simpson. Who were there, all across the terrible winter of 1987,

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seeing over and over Mark Gastineau recklessly plowing into Bernie Kosar. Who were there, all across a frustrating winter of 1998, seeing Leon Johnson throw that halfback option again and again and again …

Who were there, all across this past winter, and spring, in that merry moment with about 11 minutes to go in the final game of the 2015 season, with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, with the Jets about to take the lead from Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills, knowing that a win would get them in the playoffs, knowing Fitzpatrick had yet to throw a killer pick all year, watching Fitzpatrick drop back, scan the field, search out receivers ….

And then: Right there in the moment, 10:48 left, when instead of finding the safe harbor of Brandon Marshall’s arms, or Eric Decker’s, instead of throwing the ball away and settling for a go-ahead field goal, Fitzpatrick’s pass floated through the frosty Orchard Park air and found Leodis McKelvin’s hands instead, which would be fine except that Leodis McKelvin was playing cornerback for the Bills that day.

Yes. That is the kind of thing that sticks to you for a while. That is the kind of ending that makes the wait from January to September seem like an epic slog. Sunday, 1 o’clock, the Jets finally get to turn the page on that horrific finale. And so do you.

“I’m excited to get started,” Fitzpatrick said earlier this week. “I think everyone is. We’re ready for the new season. We’re ready for the new challenge.”

Challenge is the key word for what awaits the Jets this year. There is never a good reason to minimize a 10-win season — even a 10-win season that keeps you out of the playoffs with the rest of the three- and five- and seven-win teams. And the Jets themselves never will admit as much.

But 2015 for the Jets was a gift not only because of the many successes, and not only because of the emergence of a fun offense, but also because the Jets maximized their schedule. They were blessed with a slew of games against the rancid AFC North and the even rancid-er NFC East, won many of those games, took advantage of all of that …

And now stare at a gauntlet of a schedule that starts with the perennially tough Bengals (last year they started with the Browns, also known as “BYE”), that starts with six games against teams who won a minimum of eight games (five of them playoff qualifiers), that keeps them home only three times in the first nine weeks.

There’s a reason why every NFL season seems so fragile, so urgent. You get to the doorstep, you need to break through the door. Because there’s no guarantee you ever can get that close again.

It will be harder for the Jets to reach the doorstep this time around, but not impossible. But to get there they have to seize games like this one against the Bengals, a game in which they are home underdog but ought to be able to have a crack at winning.

Put it this way: If they are what they want us to believe they are, this is a game they have to win. Win, and the conversation Monday is a whole lot different than what it’ll be otherwise. And the task ahead will seem a whole lot less imposing than what it’ll seem like otherwise.

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NJ ADVANCE MEDIA

Jets' defensive line thrives vs. Bengals, could be 'the best in the league' (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media September 12, 2016

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http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_defensive_line_thrives_vs_bengals_could_be_th.html#incart_river_index

EAST RUTHERFORD — The Jets got off to a promising start Sunday with proving they have the NFL's best defensive line.

They'll have to keep this up over an entire season, in order to definitively show that. But Sunday's 23-22, season-opening loss to the Bengals gave the Jets plenty of reasons to be hopeful about their defensive front.

The Jets had seven sacks, their most since they had eight in September of 2013 against the Bills. The Jets' five first-half sacks were their most since they also had five in 2003 against the Eagles.

Six of the Jets' seven sacks Sunday came from defensive linemen — 2.5 from Leonard Williams, two from Steve McLendon, and 1.5 from Muhammad Wilkerson. Outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin also had one.

Oh, and for Thursday night's game at Buffalo, the Jets get Sheldon Richardson back from his one-game suspension. Richardson will return to the team Monday.

How dominant could this line be with him in the mix?

"Out of control," cornerback Buster Skrine told NJ Advance Media. "Our front seven, I'd say they're the best front seven in the league. I feel like we've got the best in the league."

Said Williams: "We know what we have, and we came out and proved it. We've seen what we can do without [Richardson], and we know that we can do more with him, so we're looking forward to it."

Richardson's line mates enjoyed some milestones Sunday as he watched from afar. Williams, as a rookie last year, had three sacks all season. McLendon entered Sunday with five total sacks in his six NFL seasons, and no more than two in any one season. He had just two sacks over the past three seasons combined.

And yet the Jets still lost, even though they had seven sacks. Ever seen that?

"I don't think I have," said middle linebacker David Harris.

He also noted this: "A lot of sacks they had were only on four-man rushes. Those guys are pretty much hard to block one-on-one."

Still, the Jets fell Sunday to the Bengals.

"Chunk plays," Skrine said. "They made a whole bunch of chunk plays."

The Bengals had a 49-yard completion and two 54-yard passes, including a touchdown of that distance. Three plays for 157 yards — 41 percent of the Bengals' total yardage Sunday.

"It doesn't matter how many sacks you've got, if they're throwing the deep ball [on you]," Skrine said. "We've just got to be better on the back end."

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Did Jets' loss to Cincinnati indicate how heavily they'll involve Matt Forte in 2016? (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media September 11, 2016

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/did_jets_loss_to_cincinnati_indicate_how_heavily_t.html#incart_river_index

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EAST RUTHERFORD — Besides the Jets' offensive struggles in the red zone, and Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green abusing Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, another notable thing that stood out in Sunday's opener was running back Matt Forte's usage.

The Jets ran 66 offensive plays for 340 yards. Forte had 22 rushes for 96 yards and five catches (on seven targets) for 59 yards. So he accounted for 40 percent of the Jets' offensive touches Sunday and 45 percent of their yards.

Forte had 18 more carries than No. 2 running back Bilal Powell, who also had two catches, for six total touches.

The Jets knew when they signed Forte this offseason that he could be a versatile weapon, in both their running and passing games. Sunday's 23-22 loss to the Bengals perhaps previewed how heavily the Jets will involve Forte.

But they'll need to be mindful about keeping him fresh, especially on short weeks like the one they're about to encounter, as they prepare for Thursday night's game at Buffalo. Forte, 30, entered this season with 2,577 career touches, in the regular season and playoffs. That's a lot of mileage.

It seemed unlikely, entering this season, that Forte and Powell would have a carry split like Powell had last season with Chris Ivory. Powell last year carried 70 times, compared to 247 for Ivory. It seemed the Forte-Powell split would be more even. And that's how it might wind up turning out. But Forte carried the load Sunday.

And at least on Sunday, he looked pretty good doing it, as he gained 4.4 yards per carry and 11.8 yards per catch. Since 2008, Forte now has an NFL-best 67 games with 100-plus yards from scrimmage.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick noticed Forte's nuanced contributions Sunday, too.

"He does a really nice job of just setting up blocks," Fitzpatrick said. "Sometimes, he'll set up for a fake play-action or boot, so getting to see him on some of those runs, set those guys up and set up his blocks, he does a really nice job of that."

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Jets' Nick Folk after missed kick, PAT: 'I feel like I let the team down' (Connor Hughes) NJ Advance Media September 11, 2016

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_nick_folk_misses_pat_field_goal_in_23-22_loss.html#incart_river_index42/bad-day-by-darrelle-revis-invisible-day-for-brandon-marshall-and-jets-lose

EAST RUTHERFORD — Pick the game, any close game, and you can find one or two plays that most determined the outcome.

In the Jets' 23-22 loss to the Bengals in Sunday's season opener, you don't need to look very far. In the first half, kicker Nick Folk missed both an extra point (the first of his career) and a field goal (blocked in the first quarter).

Bengals 23, Jets 22: 3 culprits for defeat, including Todd Bowles

That's four points taken off the board. The Jets lost by one.

"I left a lot of opportunities out there," Folk said. "I feel pretty bad about it, but we have to move on."

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Throughout his NFL career, Folk has been one of the game's more reliable kickers. In 10 seasons, Folk has made 80.5 percent of his kicks. As of late, he has been even better. From 2013 through 2015, Folk connected on 78 of 91 attempts (85 percent). Before his missed PAT, Folk had made an NFL-record 312 straight.

What did we learn in the Jets' season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals? Here are a few quick observations and takeaways.

It isn't clear if Folk's struggles Sunday were due to rust — he missed eight games last season with a quad injury and did not attempt a kick in the preseason this year — or something more. Folk beat out rookie Ross Martin in a training camp battle this summer, and looked solid doing it.

Of course, Folk wasn't the only issue for the Jets Sunday. Cornerback Darrelle Revis allowed 10 completions for 152 yards and a touchdown when covering receiver A.J. Green, the offense scored touchdowns on just two of five red zone drives and converted just four of 12 third downs (33 percent).

Still, in a one-point loss, it's easy to look Folk's way.

"I still take it on my shoulders," Folk said. "I feel like I let the team down. If we make the extra point and the field goal, they need a touchdown at the end. That would have put us up six, so it's just frustrating on my end."

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Jets' Darrelle Revis on Bengals' A.J. Green: 'I can take a punch on the chin' (Connor Hughes) NJ Advance Media September 11, 2016

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_darrelle_revis_on_struggles_vs_aj_green_i_can.html#incart_river_index

EAST RUTHERFORD — Bengals receiver A.J. Green turned Revis Island into his own resort and spa Sunday afternoon.

In the Jets' 23-22 loss, Green caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. Ten of those receptions, 150 of those yards and the score, according to ESPN, came when covered by cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Green torched Revis in near criminal fashion. Embarrassed him in front of 80,000 strong at MetLife Stadium.

"It probably wasn't one of my better games," Revis said after the game. "I can take a punch on the chin."

The concept of Green tormenting a defender isn't exactly surprising. A first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Green has developed into one of the game's best. Entering Sunday's game, he had caught 415 passes for 6,171 yards and 45 touchdowns in 76 career games. Just last season, Green had 86 grabs for 1,297 yards and 10 scores.

The Jets were well aware of Green's successes. Which what makes his outing Sunday so puzzling. Earlier this week, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said the game plan was to give Revis help in hopes of neutralizing his on-field production.

"It won't just be Revis," Rodgers said on Thursday. "It will be a lot of people. A.J. is a tremendous player. One we have to have 11 sets of eyes knowing where he is."

But Revis didn't get help. The Jets shaded a safety Green's way on some plays, but for the most part, it was one-on-one coverage. And the Bengals took advantage.

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The team hit Green on curls, slants and multiple screens.The Bengals also took two shots deep down the field, and completed both. The highlight? A 54-yard touchdown. Jets safety Marcus Gilchrist came up to cover an underneath route, which exposed Revis in man-to-man coverage.

On the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the Jets and Bengals honored victims and first responders before Sunday's kickoff.

"It was just busted coverage," Revis said. "We communicate a lot back there. We have a lot of things in our coverage that are on the go. We make calls actually as the play is going on. It was just a busted coverage on our end."

Revis' performance against Green didn't silence the offseason concerns of the cornerback's downfall. On Sunday, Revis resembled nothing of the player who used to erase receivers from the stat sheet.

And things might get even worse next week. The Jets play the Bills and receiver Sammy Watkins on Thursday night. In Week 17 last year— a playoff-eliminating defeat for the Jets— Watkins caught 11 passes for 136 yards. Six of those catches and 96 of those yards came when covered by Revis.

If Revis can't find a way to slow Watkins this time around, it won't be easy for the Jets to pull out a victory. And an 0-2 start? Well, that could end any hopes the Jets have of snapping their five-year playoff drought.

At least right now, though, Revis said there isn't any cause for concern. Personally, and collectively, with the secondary.

"Definitely not," Revis said. "We do have a lot of experience. This is our second year of being together. We've just got to tighten some things up. I definitely have confidence in the secondary we've got."

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Brandon Marshall on Jets' red zone vs. Bengals: 'Poorest execution I've ever seen' (Darryl Slater) NJ Advance Media September 11, 2016

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/brandon_marshall_on_jets_red_zone_vs_bengals_poore.html#incart_river_index

EAST RUTHERFORD — Last year, the Jets had one of the NFL's best red-zone offenses. They finished third in the league in red-zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns 66 percent of the time they cracked the opposing 20-yard line.

But in Sunday's 23-22, season-opening loss to the Bengals, the Jets scored just two touchdowns in five red-zone trips. On the other three trips, the Jets hit two field goals and had one blocked.

"We were just sloppy down there," said wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who debuted with the Jets last season. "Poor execution. It's something we pride ourselves in, and we didn't get it done.

"That's just not good enough. We pride ourselves on the red zone. That was the poorest execution I've ever seen on our side in the red zone since I've been here."

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick called the red zone "the big difference in the game." He said these sort of problems "can't be us," because "we're not going to win a lot of games if we're settling for three [points] all year."

Fitzpatrick missed spring practices while locked in a contract stalemate with the Jets, but he doesn't think rust resulted in the Jets' red-zone problems. He noted that the Bengals had the NFL's fifth-best red-zone defense last year.

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"It was poor execution," Fitzpatrick said. "I don't think it had anything to do with not being prepared."

Marshall was a major red-zone weapon for the Jets last season. But he did very little, overall, on Sunday. He was targeted eight times and had three catches for 32 yards. (Eric Decker had just two catches on seven targets for 37 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown.)

Marshall said the Bengals didn't frequently roll coverage toward him. The Jets simply decided to lean heavily on their running game, he said. Running back Matt Forte ran 22 times for 96 yards and had five catches for 59 yards.

"Our running game was looking pretty good today, was actually really good and efficient, so that's what we led with today," Marshall said.

Forte also bemoaned the Jets' red-zone struggles Sunday.

"Lack of execution down there, whether it's blocking or running routes," he said. "You get down there, you can't make mistakes in the red zone."

He said the Jets' red-zone standards are "way higher" than what they showed.

"We expect to score in places like when we're on the 1-inch line," Forte said. "We're supposed to score a touchdown on that. When you let teams hang around and you don't capitalize on stuff like that in the red zone, then you lose a game by a field goal or something like that."

So what went wrong on the Jets' missed chances in the red zone?

In the first quarter, the Jets had first-and-goal at the Bengals' 4-yard line ... and they preceded to gain zero yards on the next three plays and settle for a 22-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked.

The Jets actually started the game 2 of 3 in the red zone, before botching their final two red-zone trips, both in the fourth quarter.

On the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the Jets and Bengals honored victims and first responders before Sunday's kickoff.

First, the Jets had first-and-goal at the Bengals' 3, then second-and-goal at the 1, but Forte was stuffed for a loss of 1 yard on that play. On third-and-2, Fitzpatrick threw an incomplete pass. The Jets settled for a field goal, and trailed 20-19.

On the Jets' next drive, they had first-and-10 at the Bengals' 15, then third-and-3 at the 8, but Bilal Powell managed just a 2-yard run on third down. The Jets settled for a field goal that put them up 22-20, instead of 26-20.

And that left the door open for the Bengals to kick the game-winning field goal with 54 seconds remaining.

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Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick struggle in red zone during 23-22 loss to Bengals NJ Advance Media September 11, 2016

http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/09/jets_bengals_ryan_fitzpatrick.html#incart_river_index

EAST RUTHERFORD — After an offseason filled with so much hand-wringing and complex speculation about Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract status, Sunday brought something simpler — the black-and-white reality of regular season football.

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How would the Jets' starting quarterback look in their opener against the Bengals? Could he begin replicating the success he enjoyed for so much of 2015?

Fitzpatrick spent most of the offseason locked in a contract standoff with the Jets. He missed all of spring practices, and looked rusty at times during preseason games. Would any of that carry over into the regular season? It was a legitimate concern about Fitzpatrick and the Jets' offense, entering Sunday.

Fitzpatrick ultimately didn't do enough Sunday, as the Jets lost 23-22. Fitzpatrick completed 19 of 35 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, plus an interception with 46 seconds left, on the final drive.

After sputtering in the red zone throughout Sunday, Fitzpatrick took over, down 23-22, at his own 20-yard line, with no timeouts and 54 seconds remaining. But Fitzpatrick and Co. went nowhere, and Fitzpatrick threw that pick, on third down, to seal the loss.

On the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the Jets and Bengals honored victims and first responders before Sunday's kickoff.

With the Jets trailing 20-19 late in the fourth quarter, Fitzpatrick led them on an important drive. It covered 52 yards and ended with a field goal that gave the Jets a 22-20 lead with 3:25 remaining. (But the Bengals immediately answered with a field goal that wound up being the game-winner.)

Yes, the Jets again had to settle for a field goal in the red zone. That drive made them 2 of 5 in the red zone Sunday, in terms of scoring touchdowns — a stat that came back to bite them. (They were the NFL's third-best red zone offense last season.)

But the Jets took the lead on that possession nonetheless. The drive's key play: Fitzpatrick's 22-yard strike over the middle, to Eric Decker, on third-and-5 from the Bengals' 37-yard line. Fitzpatrick put the ball right on the mark.

Fitzpatrick got lucky on the Jets' second drive of the second half. His pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, sending the ball wobbling through the air. But free safety George Iloka couldn't haul in the would-be pick, as it bounced off his hands. This would've been a critical turnover, on a pass from the Jets' 16-yard line. Two plays later, Fitzpatrick dropped a shotgun snap, but recovered it.

This isn't what ESPN - the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports - wanted to have happen on the first Sunday of the 2016 NFL season. The week 1 meltdown didn't go over well with fantasy football enthusiasts.

The Jets' first two second half drives covered 12 and 23 yards, and both comprised five plays. The Jets' offense needed to answer, after the Bengals went up 20-16, on a touchdown with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter.

And the Jets did move the ball well on their next drive, which covered 73 yards. But they settled for a field goal — and trimming the lead to 20-19 — after having first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Another missed opportunity in the red zone.

Fitzpatrick in the first half completed 12 of 21 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, as the Jets took a 16-13 lead into the locker room. It was a reasonably productive half for him. The Jets gained 168 yards in the first half.

Fitzpatrick's best throw of the half was a back-shoulder pass to Decker, for a 15-yard touchdown. Decker battled for position in the front corner of the end zone, but credit Fitzpatrick here, too, for fitting the ball into a tight space.

This is a play the Jets have worked on frequently in practice. It unfolded perfectly, as they grabbed a 13-10 lead with 9:38 remaining in the second quarter, because of Nick Folk's missed extra point.

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The Jets led at halftime despite Brandon Marshall having just one catch (on four targets) for 18 yards in the first half. Marshall was a non-factor Sunday, finishing with eight targets, three catches, and 32 yards.

Fitzpatrick and the offense scored two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, on five possessions. But they but should've scored three more points.

Folk had a 22-yard field goal blocked in the first quarter, so the kicking game left four points on the field in the first half. As it turned out, the Jets could've used just one more point Sunday.

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Nick Folk’s missed PAT comes back to haunt Jets as Bengals escape with 23-22 win in opener (Seth Walder) New York Daily News September 12, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/folk-missed-pat-back-haunt-jets-bengals-escape-23-22-article-1.2787603

Gang Green’s daunting opening schedule has delivered its first blow.

The Jets blew a chance to beat the Bengals in their season opener Sunday by surrendering a late lead at MetLife Stadium and losing, 23-22. The one-point difference stemmed from a Nick Folk missed PAT in the second quarter.

The Jets took a two-point lead with 3:23 left but couldn’t stop the Bengals from marching down the field for a game-winning drive. Former Jets second-round draft pick Mike Nugent delivered the game-winning points, kicking a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds left.

The Jets’ final shot at coming back ended on the third play of their final drive when Ryan Fitzpatrick was picked off by Josh Shaw, ending the game. “We were winning (in) the fourth quarter and we couldn’t shut the door,” Fitzpatrick said. “I just think it’s a tough loss for us.”

“Overall, as a team, we weren’t very good,” Todd Bowles added.

The Jets face a murderer’s row of opponents to start the season, and that slate looks a little harder now. The Jets head into a short week before playing in Buffalo Thursday and then face the Chiefs, Seahawks, Steelers and Cardinals. Despite a ferocious performance from the Jets’ defensive line on Sunday that included seven sacks, Gang Green surrendered a number of long plays that crushed them in the end. “Not good,” coach Todd Bowles said of the defense. “Too many busts.”

Just as concerning as the 0-1 start for the Jets might have been the performance by Darrelle Revis, who allowed A.J. Green to throw a party all over Revis Island. Green, who was mostly marked by Revis, caught 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. And when the Bengals needed yardage to set up their game-winning field goal late in the fourth quarter, Andy Dalton targeted (and hit) Green with Revis on him. “Probably wasn’t one of my better games,” Revis said. “He had a great game. I can take a punch on the chin.”

Revis said he thought the Jets let a win slip away. “No doubt,” the cornerback said. “We definitely felt that, we had them dialed in, we had a great game plan coming in. You’ve got to put that on the secondary. For us, we cannot give up big plays.”

Dalton completed 23 of 30 pass attempts for 366 yards with one TD and one interception. But Brandon Marshall blamed the offensive side of the ball for the loss, and, specifically, its lack of success in the red

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zone. The Jets scored two touchdowns on five trips inside the Bengals’ 20-yard line. “That’s just not good enough,” Marshall said. “We pride ourselves in the red zone. That was the poorest execution I’ve ever seen on our side (in the red zone).”

Fitzpatrick threw for 189 yards and two TDs with one interception, but it wasn’t enough. Marshall was held to just three receptions for 32 yards despite, according to him, the Bengals not rolling coverage his way much. The bright spot for the Jets was the team’s seven sacks, including 2.5 by Leonard Williams. However, Bowles was in no mood to praise anyone after the one-point loss. “You have to understand this about me: if we lose the game, nobody played well,” Bowles said.

Gang Green opened the scoring by marching down the field on its very first drive of the season, with Fitzpatrick hitting Quincy Enunwa for a 3-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, with the Jets up 7-3, Dalton attacked Revis by throwing a bomb to Green that the receiver caught for a 54-yard touchdown. Bowles said after the game it was busted coverage. It appeared that Marcus Williams likely was supposed to help Revis in deep coverage.

Just a couple minutes later, Fitzpatrick and the Jets responded with another TD, this time on a 15-yard back shoulder pass to Eric Decker. Nick Folk missed the PAT. That came back to haunt the Jets later when they lost by one point. “I feel pretty bad about it,” Folk said. “But you’ve got to move (on). We’ve got a game in four days.”

Earlier in the game Folk also had a short field goal attempt blocked.

The Jets led 16-13 at halftime. Jeremy Hill scored a 12-yard touchdown to put the Bengals ahead in the third quarter. With 11:26 left, a Jets drive stalled near the goal line. On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Bowles elected to kick the field goal to cut the deficit to 20-19. He said he did not consider going for it.

With 3:23 left the Jets took the lead on another Folk field goal, but the defense couldn’t hold it. Marcus Gilchrist was flagged for a key face mask penalty, then Revis surrendered an 11-yard gain that put the ball in field goal range. Nugent took advantage, knocking home a 47-yarder. “It’s tough,” Fitzpatrick said of Sunday’s loss. “It’s not what we wanted. We’ve got a quick turnaround Thursday. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or mope too long because we’ve got one coming up in a few days.”

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Jets defense actually played well against Bengals, still believe best is yet to come (Daniel Popper) New York Daily News September 12, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/find-jets-sunday-loss-article-1.2787883

This may be hard to believe, but even after a seven-sack performance in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals, the Jets are adamant the best is yet to come for their defensive front.

That’s because the D-line, which hounded Andy Dalton all afternoon and accounted for six of the seven sacks, was without perhaps its best playmaker, Sheldon Richardson, who served a one-game suspension Sunday.

Richardson will return Thursday against the Bills in Buffalo, and his teammates are expecting a newfound motivation.

“He’s playing catch-up right now,” said defensive tackle Steve McLendon, a first-year Jet who recorded two sacks Sunday. “We know how Sheldon is. Sheldon likes the ball. . . . You’re getting a dynamic guy, a

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Pro Bowl-caliber guy like Sheldon coming back. He can get you with speed. He can hit you with power. He can hit you with quickness. He’s pretty much got it all. So we’re excited.”

Leonard Williams, who had 2.5 sacks Sunday and is now just half a sack away from his 2015 total, agrees with McLendon.

“We’ve seen what we can do without him,” Williams said of Richardson. “And we know that we can do more with him.”

Improving on Sunday’s showing will be no small task, even with Richardson. The Jets’ front seven was relentless in its pass rush from the opening series against the Bengals and got to Dalton early and often. Outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin tackled the QB for a one-yard loss on the Bengals’ first third down of the game, forcing a punt. Then on second down of the ensuing Cincinnati possession, Dalton attempted to scramble outside the pocket to his left, but the 310-pound McLendon chased down the signal-caller and made a shoestring tackle to turn what could have been a big gain into a 5-yard loss.

According to Pro Football Reference, it’s just the third time in team history Gang Green registered seven or more sacks in a defeat.

“I wasn’t surprised. We have great guys up front,” Williams said of the output. “We’ve been talking to each other on what we expect out of each other and what we expect this season. . . . We know what we have. And we just came out and proved it today.”

Richardson will get his chance to prove himself Thursday. “I’m sure he’s going to be real hungry,” Williams said. “That’s just going to create competition among all of us. He’s going to make all of us go harder.”

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Jets kicker Nick Folk had a bad, bad day vs. Bengals on Sunday (Daniel Popper) New York Daily News September 12, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/folk-wrong-jets-kicker-sunday-article-1.2787881

Nick Folk had a bad day at the office Sunday. Amid windy conditions at MetLife Stadium, the Jets kicker missed an extra point and had a field goal blocked in the first half of an eventual 23-22 loss to the Bengals.

“I left opportunities out there. I feel pretty bad about,” said Folk, who rebounded to drill field goals of 45 yards, 20 yards and 23 yards. “But you’ve got to move on.”

Folk, who hadn’t missed an extra point in 311 career attempts before Sunday, attributed his rough showing to unusual winds at the Meadowlands on Sunday. Folk said the wind at the end where he missed the extra point was moving hard left to right and into his face.

“That was a wind that we hadn’t had here in a long time,” Folk said.

DYNAMIC DEBUT

Matt Forte didn’t score Sunday, but the running back did just about everything else in his Jets debut. Forte, the former Bear who signed a three-year deal with Gang Green, rushed for 96 yards on 22 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards. “He’s a pro’s pro,” QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said.

The only knock on Forte’s day came early in the fourth quarter. He had an opportunity to punch in a crucial touchdown for the Jets from the 1-yard line, but he was stuffed by the Bengals’ front. “I expect to play well,” Forte said. “But when you don’t get the win, it’s all out the window.”

RIGHT TACKLE ROTATION

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Todd Bowles opted to rotate right tackles each series throughout Sunday’s loss. Ben Ijalana started and played the first possession, which ended in a Jets touchdown on a pass from Fitzpatrick to Quincy Enunwa. Brent Qvale entered for the second series. The two linemen traded off possessions for the remainder of the game. It’s a peculiar situation. But Ijalana and Qvale are approaching their jobs with commendable teamwork, which they said developed while splitting snaps during the preseason. “Overall, it went pretty well,” Qvale said. “I felt prepared going in there. It’s just making sure you’re staying warm and be ready to go.”

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Jets honor victims of 9/11 before season opener vs. Bengals, all players stand for national anthem (Daniel Popper) New York Daily News September 11, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-honor-victims-9-11-players-stand-national-anthem-article-1.2787456

The Jets honored victims of 9/11 on Sunday with an extensive ceremony at Metlife Stadium before their season opener against the Bengals.

The proceedings started with a remembrance video, featuring members of the 2001 team — including coach Herm Edwards and quarterback Vinny Testaverde — recalling memories from that emotional season.

During warmups, Jets players and coaches wore shirts from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum that depicted the Twin Towers.

The Jets emerged from the tunnel behind individuals carrying four large American flags. Players ran through a tunnel created by the Gang Green cheerleaders, who all waved smaller American flags. Receiver Eric Decker and center Nick Mangold wore FDNY hats as they sprinted onto the field.

The Bengals captains also donned FDNY and NYPD hats during the pregame coin toss.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani served as the Jets’ honorary captain.

The stadium played a video message from President Barack Obama as a flag covering the whole field was unfurled.

All players and coaches then stood for the national anthem.

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Jets’ Darrelle Revis is an all-time great, but he looks done after A.J. Green torches him in Week 1 (Manish Mehta) New York Daily News September 12, 2016

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/green-runs-revis-island-article-1.2787734

Darrelle Revis spent Sunday afternoon chasing the memory of a man who no longer exists.

No matter what happens this season, the unforgiving truth for one of the greatest players of this generation is abundantly clear: Revis will never be the game-changing force that he once was.

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Revis Island is a thing of the past, a cool relic that you’ll be able to tell your grandkids about one day, a part of NFL history. He was untouchable, unstoppable and unbelievable for so long. Now, Superman is forever Clark Kent, mortal and flawed like the rest of us.

On a day when the Jets lost their season-opener to the Bengals, their most accomplished star revealed the ugly warts that nobody wants to see from their heroes. Revis was embarrassed by A.J. Green in a fashion that would have been surreal had we not seen the warning signs last season.

Green beat Revis in every imaginable way in a virtuoso 12-catch, 180-yard performance that highlighted the barrier between one of the game’s great receivers and a fading superstar cornerback.

“It probably wasn’t one of my better games,” Revis said with a hint of resignation.

When the Bengals needed to make one play with just over a minute to go and pick up a few yards to get into field goal range to take the lead, they went to Green, who stuck one final dagger in Revis by beating him on an option route and breaking free of his grasp for 11 yards. It set up Mike Nugent’s 47-yard game-winning field goal.

“He had a great game,” Revis said. “I can take a punch on the chin.”

This was no punch on the chin. This was a barrage of haymakers (quick hitches and bubble screens) and one thunderous round-house right (a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter) that left the 31-year-old cornerback slumped on a stool in his corner with a cut-man, who couldn’t stop the bleeding.

“He’s a hell of a player,” linebacker David Harris said of Green. “They pay him the big money for a reason.”

A.J. Green (l.) roasts a flailing and failing Darrelle Revis on Sunday to the tune of 180 yards and a TD.

Revis is making $17 million this year.

But he wasn’t the only culprit in a secondary that was leaking all afternoon. The Jets wasted a dominant performance by their defensive line (seven sacks) by giving up seven pass plays of at least 20 yards, including three of at least 49.

Revis might have been posterized on Green’s 54-yard score, but he should have had safety help on the play. Bowles, Revis and safety Marcus Gilchrist chalked up the longest play of the day to a busted coverage. Replays indicated that Gilchrist and cornerback Marcus Williams weren’t on the same wavelength, prompting a true one-on-one matchup between Green and Revis.

There was a time when Revis could make Green disappear. That time is gone.

Bowles gave Revis safety help on Green for much of the game, but the miscommunication between Gilchrist and Williams proved costly.

“He’s everything as advertised,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said of Green.

Revis isn’t anymore.

He’s still a quality player, but the days of erasing elite pass catchers are over. DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and others revealed cracks in Revis’ armor last season. The trend will continue unless he finds a way to successfully reverse time.

“That guy has nothing else to prove,” Green said. “He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, for sure.”

Revis, once the best corner in the NFL, is not anymore.

Past performance, however, doesn’t guarantee future results, especially when you’re on the wrong side of 30 in this profession.

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Revis wasn’t solely to blame. Bowles’ offense sputtered in the red zone. His kicker missed an extra point and had a chip-shot field goal blocked. His best offensive player inexplicably caught only 3 passes for 32 yards despite not being consistently doubled, according to him.

Must-wins in Week 1 don’t exist, but the Jets are in the unenviable position of travelling to Buffalo on a short week to avoid a deeper hole. Rex Ryan’s team laid their own egg in the season opener, but he’d sell his soul to crush his former team again.

The Jets must split their first six games (against five playoff teams from a year ago) to have a realistic chance of making the postseason. If they fall to 0-2… (INSERT DOOMSDAY DESCRIPTION HERE).

Nine months after Revis showed no accountability after his poor performance against Watkins in a crushing loss in the season finale, he didn’t shirk his responsibility this time.

Nobody works harder. But that has never been in question.

What matters now is whether you can count on him to deliver to stop the big boys.

On this day, the answer was obvious.

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NEW YORK TIMES

Opportunity, Like Bengals Receivers, Slips Past the Jets (Scott Cacciola) New York Times September 11, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/sports/football/cincinnati-bengals-beat-new-york-jets.html?ref=football&_r=0

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The scheduling doyens at N.F.L. headquarters did not do the Jets any early-season favors. Five of their first six opponents this season made the playoffs last season, a maze of danger that began Sunday afternoon when the Cincinnati Bengals visited MetLife Stadium.

It was an eclectic day of football for the Jets, who combined sterling play along their defensive line with blunders in their secondary. They ran and threw the ball effectively for stretches, at least when they were in the middle of the field. But the end zone might as well have been a hayfield, and the Jets had allergies.

They flirted with disaster throughout, and the Bengals were uncharitable guests, holding on for a 23-22 victory as Mike Nugent kicked a 47-yard field goal with 58 seconds left.

“We weren’t very good,” Jets Coach Todd Bowles said, adding, “Too many busts.”

Too many busts against Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who completed 23 of 30 passes for 366 yards. And too many busts against A. J. Green, a 6-foot-4 receiver who looked as if he had suction cups for hands. He had 12 catches for 180 yards, none more important than his 11-yard reception late in the fourth quarter that put Nugent in better position for his field-goal try.

“A. J. Green,” Jets linebacker David Harris said, “is a hell of a receiver.”

Green did much of his damage against Darrelle Revis, once (and perhaps still) regarded as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. But this was not one for the scrapbook.

“It probably wasn’t one of my better games,” Revis said.

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Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 19 of 35 passes for 189 yards, and running back Matt Forte, in his first game with the Jets, rushed for 96 yards. He also had five receptions for 59 yards, showing some of the versatility that the Jets coveted when they signed him in the off-season.

“I expect to play well and do things like that,” Forte said. “But when you don’t get the win, it’s all out the window.”

Last season, the Jets won 10 games, but a loss to the Buffalo Bills in their regular-season finale kept them out of the playoffs for a fifth straight year. Still, the Jets expressed cautious optimism throughout training camp. After all, Fitzpatrick had assembled one of the finest statistical seasons by a quarterback in franchise history, and Forte was expected to give the offense a further boost.

And then there was the Jets’ defensive line, as sturdy as advertised against Cincinnati. The Jets finished the game with seven sacks and limited the Bengals to 57 rushing yards.

It was nearly good enough, but the Jets had more seams in their secondary than a three-piece business suit, and their offense kept stalling in the red zone.

Nick Folk kicked three field goals. But one of his attempts was blocked from 22 yards, and he misfired on an extra-point attempt. Those errors, both from the first half, loomed large. Folk cited the elements.

“It was just a tough wind all day,” he said. “It was kind of blowing pretty hard and left to right, which is a tough wind for a right-footed kicker. But I still need to make all those kicks.”

The Bengals went ahead in the third quarter when Dalton engineered a 92-yard scoring drive. Bengals wide receiver Brandon LaFell had a 49-yard reception, and running back Jeremy Hill leveled free safety Marcus Gilchrist on a 12-yard touchdown run, giving the Bengals a 20-16 lead.

Fitzpatrick responded by leading the Jets on a methodical march to the Bengals’ 3-yard line, but then more red-zone problems surfaced. After a 2-yard scramble by Fitzpatrick, a loss of a yard on a run by Forte and an incompletion, a field goal left the Jets trailing by 1.

Later in the fourth quarter, the Jets again moved the ball, on a drive that was extended when Fitzpatrick threw a 22-yard rope to Eric Decker on a third-and-5. The Jets scuffled near the goal line, though, and Folk kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 22-20 lead. That proved too brittle against a tandem as fearsome as Dalton and Green.

Get the big sports news, highlights and analysis from Times journalists, with distinctive takes on games and some behind-the-scenes surprises, delivered to your inbox every week.

“He’s amazing,” LaFell said of Green. “Any time a ball goes his way, I feel like it will be a big play.”

The stadium was flush with hope when the game began. Chan Gailey, the Jets’ offensive coordinator, had had months to script the team’s opening possession, and it showed. Fitzpatrick connected with Brandon Marshall for an 18-yard gain before handing off to Forte for 14 yards up the middle. The Jets soon scored their first touchdown of the season on a 3-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to Quincy Enunwa.

The rest of the first half, however, was a mix of missed opportunities and blown assignments. The Bengals scored their first touchdown when Dalton found Green for a 54-yard reception over the top of Revis, who appeared to be expecting help from one of his safeties. None was forthcoming, and Revis could only watch as Green slipped into the end zone.

“It was definitely a busted coverage on our end,” Revis said.

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The Jets went back ahead when Fitzpatrick threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Decker, a score set up by a 65-yard kickoff return by Jalin Marshall, an undrafted rookie out of Ohio State. After the teams traded field goals, the Jets went into halftime with a 16-13 lead.

Their potential victory sprung a slow leak in the second half, and the Bengals’ go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter was aided by more miscues in the Jets’ secondary, including a 15-yard face-mask penalty called against Gilchrist.

The Jets have little time to regroup. They visit the Bills on Thursday.

“We’re not that far away from where we want to be,” Harris said. “We just gave up too many today.”

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Ryan Clady’s Twisted Turns (Ben Shpigel) New York Times September 10, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/sports/football/jets-ryan-clady.html?ref=football

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Upon being traded to the Jets in April, Ryan Clady wondered whether his new teammates would accept him.

He boasted a striking résumé that included four Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro selections. But in taking over at left tackle, he was replacing a respected stalwart, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who before retiring had never missed a snap because of injury during his 10 seasons.

Clady also wondered how his knee, which was still healing after an injury that precipitated his departure from the Denver Broncos, would hold up once off-season workouts began.

Clady thus devoted no brainpower whatsoever to anticipating a feature of New Jersey living that would soon confront, and confound, him: the jughandle.

From growing up in California, attending college in Idaho and playing his first eight N.F.L. seasons in Colorado, Clady had no reason to know about the Garden State’s obsessive use of the traffic configuration that taunted him when he tried to turn left from the left lane.

“I’m like, ‘What’s going on here? I have to go right to turn left?’” Clady said. “Everywhere I went, it kept happening.”

But once he became an expert on local roadways (and esoteric driving rules), Clady was able to focus on his primary job. For the last five months, that has meant building relationships with his new offensive linemates, caring for his body and preparing for Sunday’s season opener against Cincinnati — his first game that matters since January 2015.

If he is healthy, Clady could become as much a bargain as his former Denver teammate Brandon Marshall who thrived last season for the Jets after being acquired for the same compensation — a fifth-round pick — that netted Clady. And it was Marshall who welcomed Clady to the Jets with an emphatic message: Let’s go get a ring.

Clady will try do so as he protects the blind side of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, making him almost as critical to the Jets’ success as Fitzpatrick is. Clady said he was ready.

“I’ve dealt with pressure,” Clady said. “Nothing’s too overwhelming for me.”

Clady said he had to grow up fast after his mother died suddenly of a heart attack when he was 13.

“I felt like I was an adult immediately,” he said.

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And when Peyton Manning, coming off neck surgery, signed with Denver in 2012, he depended on Clady to keep him upright.

It was not necessarily the Jets’ intent, but in Clady, who is listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 315 pounds, they added a player whose temperament and playing style reminded them of Ferguson. In Clady’s early days with the Jets, some players, using Ferguson’s nickname, joked that he was Brick 2.0.

“They just go about their work,” receiver Eric Decker, who played four seasons in Denver with Clady, said of the similarities between the two tackles. “Some linemen have the attitude, the nastiness. But you want a guy at one of the most important positions who you can trust, a guy that’s reliable and consistent, and Ryan’s all that.”

If right tackles fashion themselves mauling brawlers, left tackles, almost by nature, often play with more finesse. And Clady, who is tall and linear with the quick feet and long arms (36 ¾ inches) that are so vital in detouring charging pass rushers, is considered a cerebral tactician — much the way Ferguson was in his prime.

“You kind of take it for granted,” center Nick Mangold said of his relationship with Ferguson. “I knew how Brick was going to hear calls, and I knew when he said something, what it meant. But what helps is Ryan’s a veteran. I don’t look at it as if he’s trying to replace Brick or trying to be Brick. He’s his own man.”

There is one significant difference, however. Ferguson not even so much as landed on an injury report during his decade in the N.F.L. Clady, in contrast, missed 30 of Denver’s last 48 regular-season games and both of its recent Super Bowl appearances.

As the Jets devised their off-season strategy, they explored succession plans at left tackle. Ferguson’s onerous salary-cap charge in 2016, coupled with his declining skills and unwillingness to take a pay cut, compelled them to look for an alternative in free agency.

They played host to another lineman coming off a knee injury, Kelvin Beachum, who had been with Pittsburgh. They also showed interest in Kelechi Osemele, who had been with Baltimore and who the Jets thought could play tackle for a year or two before sliding over to guard.

Meanwhile, Clady officially became available when Denver signed Russell Okung in March. But Clady had sensed long before that, in May 2015, that his career with the Broncos might not last much longer. While taking part in a noncontact pass-blocking drill, he felt the little jolt in his left knee.

At first, the injury did not appear alarming.

“It looked like he stepped on a thumbtack,” Clancy Barone, Denver’s offensive line coach, said in a recent interview at Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo. “Then his knee was gone, that simple.”

Clady had torn his anterior cruciate ligament. Facing his second lengthy recovery in three years — the first was for a Lisfranc fracture of his foot in September 2013 — he doubted Denver would invest in him again. For hours every day, he and a rookie tight end, Jeff Heuerman, who would become a close friend, rehabilitated their knee injuries together.

As Clady strengthened his knee, he braced himself for a stark likelihood: that another team would benefit from his hard work.

“If you don’t know him, Ryan’s not real vocal, and the first few weeks, he didn’t say anything to me,” Heuerman said of their rehabilitation regimen. “I just figured he didn’t like to talk to rookies, that maybe he’s not a very social guy. But I just followed his lead. He kept a smile on his face the whole time, even toward the end, when he obviously kind of knew that he might not be a Bronco anymore.”

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Ferguson notified the Jets in early April about his decision to stop playing, and they asked him to spend a few days mulling it over. The Jets had been monitoring Clady’s situation, and they discussed him with Denver during that window. Clady took his physical on April 8, the same day news broke of Ferguson’s retirement.

The Jets mined the Broncos’ staff — some of whom, including the coach, Gary Kubiak, had worked with Jets General Manager Mike Maccagnan — for information. They asked how Clady had approached his rehab — Did he have a good attitude? Did he show up early or late? — and then married that intelligence with their impressions of his on-field performance.

The Jets’ staff watched games from parts of three successive seasons, to compare his form before his foot fracture, and afterward.

Conducting his own film study, Steve Marshall, the Jets’ offensive line coach, realized that Clady reminded him of the Browns’ All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, whom he had coached in Cleveland.

The Jets were certain that Clady, at full strength, would represent a clear upgrade over the declining Ferguson. Their confidence that Clady, who turned 30 on Tuesday, would age well offset any concerns about his durability.

Before the Lisfranc fracture, Clady played in 82 consecutive regular-season games. In 2014, after the fracture healed, he played a full season, plus a playoff game.

But then came the knee injury.

“You’re trying to think, ‘O.K., what if he loses a little bit coming off the knee?’” Maccagnan said in a recent interview. “It wasn’t like he was getting by on all ability and was very raw. He’s kind of a technician, like Brick was, in terms of his footwork, his instincts, his feel for angles, his hand placement. Even if he were to have a slight decline in some areas, we still thought he could be a good left tackle.”

The Jets’ research into Clady’s personality left them encouraged. His mental toughness and competitiveness, team officials felt, were strong enough for him to withstand, or help compensate for, any diminished skills.

That character, Clady said, derives in part from the aftermath of his mother’s death.

It was sudden, he said, and Clady, the oldest of four children, became withdrawn. A quiet boy, he grew even more reserved.

“It made me grow up fast,” Clady said. “You just kind of shake off the little things.”

Clady did not play much until his sophomore year at Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Calif., where coaches pegged him as a defensive end on the junior varsity. It was not until he went to Boise State that he switched to offensive tackle to capitalize on the uncommon agility he possessed for his size.

As a sophomore, Clady made a pivotal block on the Statue of Liberty 2-point conversion play that stunned Oklahoma in the January 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Still, inside the program, he was known just as much for never getting beaten in individual pass-rush drills as a junior.

“If we can have a guy go one week without losing a rep, that would be pretty good,” said Scott Huff, Clady’s position coach during his junior season at Boise State, in a telephone interview. “I wish I could have another guy like him, and I don’t know if I ever will.”

For a long time, the Jets felt that way about Ferguson, who someday will be immortalized in their Ring of Honor. But now they have Clady, who would like to stay here awhile.

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He considers himself a foodie, and he chose to live in Montclair, about 15 miles from the Jets’ facility here, in part because of its abundance of restaurants.

Already, he has found a great Peruvian place.

It is within walking distance, no jughandles required.

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METRO NEW YORK

3 things we learned in Jets' devastating setback to Bengals (Tony Williams) Metro New York September 11, 2016

http://www.metro.us/new-york/3-things-we-learned-in-jets-devastating-setback-to-bengals/zsJpil---LCqRQVbiYgxM/

The Jets endured a roller coaster of an opening day, as they experienced lots of good with some bad in a heartbreaking 23-22 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

New York (0-1) had a hellacious pass rush, but it was offset with some huge gaffes in the secondary, as the Bengals (1-0) overcame the former and capitalized on the latter.

Despite tallying seven sacks, the Jets couldn’t get to quarterback Andy Dalton enough when it counted, as he engineered the late-game rally. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was obviously upset with the outcome and was terse in his postgame comments.

“Not good, too many busts … You gotta understand about me, if we lose the game, [to me] nobody played well,” Bowles said when asked if he was happy with the pressure his defense put on Dalton.

Bowles declined to throw any verbal bouquets to a defense that had seven sacks and nine tackles for loss.

“I didn’t expect us to make these kind of mistakes,” he noted, surprised at the amount of the errors his usually disciplined defense committed. “There were just too many mistakes. Didn’t expect those mistakes, the way we did.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the afternoon wasn’t the loss itself, as the Bengals are a perennial playoff participant, but it was how Gang Green was defeated. Future Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis was severely exposed in his one-on-one matchup with Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Green, as the receiver tallied 12 catches for 180 yards, including a terrific 54-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter.

There was one point in the game when Green had snared all nine of his targets for 154 yards — all in front of Revis. And perhaps the biggest moment wasn’t even highlight-worthy, as Green had a clutch 11-yard reception in front of Revis on 3rd-and-13 that got Cincinnati to the 29-yard line to set up Novak’s go-ahead 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining. The catch was what made Novak’s attempt that much easier, and the three points proved to be difference in Cincinnati’s rare road win against the Jets.

New York had a chance to redeem itself — and avenge Revis — but cornerback Josh Shaw iced the game for the Bengals with a terrific interception along the sideline, as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tried one last-ditch effort to rally the team.

Green’s scorching of Revis Island wasn’t the only huge event, but it was the most telling — not to mention Nick Folks’s first career missed extra point eventually came back to haunt Gang Green.

Metro takes a look back at other key factors as the Bengals earned their first road win over the Jets in 10 attempts.

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What We Saw:

1. Forte is back

The offense may have come up short in the final moments, but running back Matt Forte was stellar in his Jets debut. Forte, who barely played all preseason, was fantastic, as he reprised his role as one of the league’s best dual-threat running backs. He finished with 96 yards on 22 carries and added another 59 yards on five receptions. Cincinnati may have won the contest, but they didn’t have any answer for the former Chicago Bear, who showed he’s still got it. Forte was his usual shifty self, never getting brought down by the original tackler and also being a great safety valve for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick anytime the pressure in the pocket got too hot.

2. What a rush

The back end of the Jets’ defense had as rough a day as ever during Revis’ tenure in New York, but the loss can’t be pinned on Gang Green’s front seven. The Jets racked up seven sacks on Dalton, never making him feel comfortable, especially early when they sacked him five times in the first half. Steve McLendon had a stellar debut as he notched two sacks. The former Steeler lived in the Bengals’ backfield, but he wasn’t alone. Second-year defensive end Leonard Williams added 2.5 sacks, while Pro Bowler Mo Wilkerson contributed with two. The Jets can only hope that Revis’ performance was a fluke, because if the Jets’ pass rush continues to ascend, this defense has all the makings of being a top-flight outfit.

3. Red Rifle trumps Amish Rifle

These two quarterbacks have two of the best monikers in the league, but on this day the former outdid the latter in every manner. Dalton was under duress for a majority of the game, but he never lost his cool. He engineered the game-winning drive that ended with a Mike Nugent field goal with 54 seconds remaining, and was locked-in to his favorite target all afternoon — regardless if the amazing Revis was defending. Dalton went 23-of-30 for 366 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while Fitzpatrick went 19-of-35 for 189, two touchdowns and a pick. Despite constantly being on his back, Dalton picked himself up every time and came back for more against a Jets’ front seven that is among the league’s best.

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SUNDAY’S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS

BASEBALL

American League

OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Released DH Billy Butler.

TEXAS RANGERS — Activated RHP Colby Lewis from the 60-day DL. Designated LHP Michael Roth for assignment.

National League

ATLANTA BRAVES — Placed C A.J. Pierzynski on the 15-day DL.

FOOTBALL

Canadian Football League

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS — Acquired Toronto’s 2017 first-round draft pick and 2018 third-round draft pick and DB TJ Heath for QB Drew Willy. Traded their 2017 fourth-round draft pick to Montreal for QB Kevin Glenn.

Daily Clips Cont.

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