NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
For the first time this season, New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields took to the podium to speak to reporters after a victory on Sunday.
The Jets pulled off a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, 39-38, and ultimately secure their first victory of the 2025 campaign. They were the only NFL remaining without a win this year.
While Breece Hall’s two touchdowns played a vital role in the victory, Fields’ efforts to keep the Jets in the game were paramount in securing the victory.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Justin Fields of the New York Jets celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium on October 26, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Jets fans and even the team’s owner have criticized Fields all season. In fact, there was no certainty that Fields would start on the road at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, as head coach Aaron Glenn kept his decision close to his chest until Saturday.
After his redemption game, Fields revealed that the criticism and pressure to perform really got to him this week.
“I’m going to get pretty vulnerable here,” Fields told reporters via Yahoo Sports. “This week I found myself in my closet, lying on the floor crying. Not because of the difficulties, not because of the troubles. I felt like I was made to handle this…Yesterday I was praying and praying, just a victory.”
JETS OWNER WOODY JOHNSON CRITICIZES JUSTIN FIELDS, DEFENDS AARON GLENN AMID TEAM’S DISAPPOINTING START
Jets owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized his quarterback’s play during the NFL’s annual fall meeting.
“It’s tough when you have a quarterback with the grade we have,” Johnson told reporters. “He has the ability, but something isn’t right. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’ll see similar results across the league.”
Justin Fields and Azareye’h Thomas of the New York Jets speak to the media after the game against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium on October 26, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Fields obviously heard what his employer had to say, even if he dismissed it as “outside noise at the end of the day.”
“I understand he’s the owner of the team, but that’s outside noise,” he continued. “The most important thing is that my teammates believed in me and my coaches always believed in me.”
While Fields earned his first win as a Jets player, head coach Aaron Glenn had been waiting for this feeling for seven weeks. Glenn held nothing back either, acknowledging that the Jets had the Bengals defense on their heels and continued to go for two-point conversions on back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.
Without both succeeding, we may still be talking about a winless Jets team on Monday.
But that’s not the case. Instead, the Jets have a “Victory Monday” and hope to consolidate their victory as they now head into their bye week. They will be back on the field on November 9 at home against the Cleveland Browns, another struggling team.
Justin Fields of the New York Jets carries the ball for a two-point conversion against the Bengals on October 26, 2025 in Cincinnati. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“It’s been a lot for me emotionally and spiritually,” Fields said. “When I was on the field, I was about to start crying, not because we won but because of the goodness of God. Everything I went through last week, everything we went through as a team these last seven weeks, it was a lot of ups and downs, and I got a lot of support from my teammates, from my brothers, from my family, from my friends, and most of all, I’m just grateful. Yesterday I started praying, praying like crazy, just for a win.”
Fields was 21 of 32 for 244 yards with a touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Johnson before the end of the first half. Hall added 133 rushing yards on 18 carries with his two scores, while also throwing a touchdown to rookie tight end Mason Taylor.
