Aaron Glenn Calls Justin Fields Criticism 'So Unfair' After Jets Rally to Stun Bengals

After the New York Jets earned their first win of the season with a 39-38 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, first-year head coach Aaron Glenn showed support for quarterback Justin Fields following a week of adversity.

"Who he is as a person, his faith, and the way he goes about his business — he was primed to be able to handle situations like this. It's so unfair to him that he gets criticized so much," Glenn told reporters after the win.

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Fields was coming off a benching in last week's loss against the Carolina Panthers, and he was called out by Jets owner Woody Johnson during the league's fall meetings for his struggles this year.

"It's hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we got. He has the ability, but something just is not jiving," Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. "But if you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you're gonna see similar results across the league."

Glenn refused to name a starting quarterback for most of the week while Fields competed with veteran backup Tyrod Taylor, but Taylor was later ruled out for the game due to a knee injury, leaving the team with no choice but to turn to Fields.

With his back against the wall, Fields helped lead the Jets to 502 yards of total offense, throwing for 244 yards and a touchdown while also adding 31 rushing yards. Star running back Breece Hall had his best performance of the season with 18 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns while also adding the go-ahead passing touchdown to rookie tight end Mason Taylor.

If Fields can continue to show resiliency, perhaps he can prove that he deserves to be a part of New York's future.

For now, the Jets will enjoy their first win as they enter their bye in Week 9 before returning to action on Nov. 9 against the Cleveland Browns.