The Jets ended last season with a devastating punch to the gut. This season, the Jets started with a kick to the groin.
Former Jets kicker Mike Nugent, the team’s infamous second-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, enraged his former fanbase once more by drilling a 46-yard field goal with 54 seconds left to give the Bengals a 23-22 win over his former team Sunday at MetLife Stadium. A blocked 23-yard field goal from Nick Folk, as well as his first-ever missed extra point, also helped end the Jets’ streak of five straight season-opening wins.
The season started as Todd Bowles diagrammed it in his dreams, with the Jets dominating on defense — a three-and-out — before seguing to a seemingly effortless 10-play, 78-yard drive that featured new running back Matt Forte and ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Quincy Enunwa midway through the first quarter.