NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS

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1 NEW YORK JETS DAILY CLIPS September 12, 2016 Table of Contents ASSOCIATED PRESS... 2 Nugent's 47-yard field goal leads Bengals past Jets (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 loss to Bengals (Dennis Waszak, Jr.)... 5 THE RECORD... 7 Late field goal gives Bengals 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 Jets fall to Bengals in opener on late field goal (Kimberley A. Martin) Nick Folk s miscues leave door open for Bengals to steal win (Colin Stephenson) Bengals edge Jets despite allowing 7 sacks (Brian Heyman) Darrelle Revis, Jets secondary have hands full with Bengals A.J. Green (Neil Best) Jets Q&A: Versatile Matt Forte excels in debut for Jets (Kimberley A. Martin) ESPN NEW YORK Bad day by Darrelle Revis, invisible day for Brandon Marshall -- and Jets lose (Rich Cimini) NEW YORK POST How A.J. Green made a mockery of Revis Island (Howie Kussoy) Todd Bowles in no mood to talk about Jets one offensive star (Brian Costello) Jets have to realize who Darrelle Revis is and who he isn t (George Willis) The Jets defensive line is beyond the menace QBs feared (Mark Cannizzaro) Mike Nugent twists the knife on hurting Jets fans (Howie Kussoy) The brutal reality of Nick Folk: Kickers have nowhere to hide (Mark Cannizzaro) Have Jets already found moment that ll haunt them all year? (Mike Vaccaro) Report card: Can Jets defense get 2 different grades? (Brian Costello) Jets throw away crucial chance in ill-fated kicking battle (Brian Costello) One way for Jets to prove they re over 2015 Bills debacle (Mike Vaccaro) NJ ADVANCE MEDIA Jets' defensive line thrives vs. Bengals, could be 'the best in the league' (Darryl Slater) Did Jets' loss to Cincinnati indicate how heavily they'll involve Matt Forte in 2016? (Darryl Slater) Jets' Nick Folk after missed kick, PAT: 'I feel like I let the team down' (Connor Hughes) P a g e

2 Jets' Darrelle Revis on Bengals' A.J. Green: 'I can take a punch on the chin' (Connor Hughes) Brandon Marshall on Jets' red zone vs. Bengals: 'Poorest execution I've ever seen' (Darryl Slater) Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick struggle in red zone during loss to Bengals NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Nick Folk s missed PAT comes back to haunt Jets as Bengals escape with win in opener (Seth Walder) Jets defense actually played well against Bengals, still believe best is yet to come (Daniel Popper) Jets kicker Nick Folk had a bad, bad day vs. Bengals on Sunday (Daniel Popper) Jets honor victims of 9/11 before season opener vs. Bengals, all players stand for national anthem (Daniel Popper) 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 TIMES Opportunity, Like Bengals Receivers, Slips Past the Jets (Scott Cacciola) Ryan Clady s Twisted Turns (Ben Shpigel) METRO NEW YORK things we learned in Jets' devastating setback to Bengals (Tony Williams) SUNDAY S SPORTS TRANSACTIONS ASSOCIATED PRESS Nugent's 47-yard field goal leads Bengals past Jets (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press 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 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). 2 P a g e

3 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 thirdand-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 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. 3 P a g e

4 Facing quick turnaround, Jets will try to prevent 0-2 start (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press 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 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' 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 passer rating when targeting Green with Revis covering: 10-for-10, 152 yards, 1 TD. 4 P a g e

5 "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 Jets sputter in red zone in loss to Bengals (Dennis Waszak, Jr.) Associated Press 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' victory in the season opener Sunday. 5 P a g e

6 "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 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 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. 6 P a g e

7 "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." THE RECORD Late field goal gives Bengals win over Jets (Andy Vasquez) The Record 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 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. Jets: Inside Bengals game (Jeff Roberts) The Record September 12, 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 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) 7 P a g e

8 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, Then Brandon LaFell slipped behind Marcus Williams for a 49-yard reception to the Jets 22. Five plays later, the Bengals took a 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 lead. Jets notes: Todd Bowles plays it safe (Andy Vasquez) The Record September 12, 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 "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 8 P a g e

9 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 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." Jets' Revis gets torched by Green (Jeff Roberts) The Record September 12, 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 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 gamewinning 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." 9 P a g e

10 "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." NEWSDAY Jets fall to Bengals in opener on late field goal (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday 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 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. 10 P a g e

11 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 redzone 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). Nick Folk s miscues leave door open for Bengals to steal win (Colin Stephenson) Newsday 11 P a g e

12 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 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 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 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 lead. Folk then kicked two short field goals, from 20 and 23 yards, to put the Jets up 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. Bengals edge Jets despite allowing 7 sacks (Brian Heyman) Newsday 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 talentheavy line. Our quarterback will not make it through the season if we give up seven sacks a week, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. 12 P a g e

13 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, 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 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 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 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. Darrelle Revis, Jets secondary have hands full with Bengals A.J. Green (Neil Best) Newsday 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? 13 P a g e

14 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 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. 14 P a g e

15 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. Jets Q&A: Versatile Matt Forte excels in debut for Jets (Kimberley A. Martin) Newsday 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 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 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 15 P a g e

16 down. Nick Folk kicked a 20-yard field goal to cut the Jets deficit to 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 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. ESPN NEW YORK Bad day by Darrelle Revis, invisible day for Brandon Marshall -- and Jets lose (Rich Cimini) ESPN New York 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. 16 P a g e

17 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. NEW YORK POST How A.J. Green made a mockery of Revis Island (Howie Kussoy) New York Post 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 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. 17 P a g e

18 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 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. Todd Bowles in no mood to talk about Jets one offensive star (Brian Costello) New York Post The Jets debut of Matt Forte was one of the positives the team could take away from Sunday s 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. 18 P a g e