An eventful week of media for Justin Fields ended with a victory, and a memorable clapback for team owner Woody Johnson, on Sunday after the embattled quarterback led the New York Jets to their first win of the season.
Fields warranted, perhaps, more attention than usual in Week 8 after Johnson criticized his subpar play through his first seven games earlier this week. But, with the spotlight glaring at its brightest, the young QB turned in his best outing as a Jet during Sunday’s 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
After the game, Fields was asked about dealing with Johnson’s comments.
“That’s outside noise at the end of the day,” Fields told reporters. “I get that he’s the owner of the team, but that’s outside noise. The biggest thing was my teammates believing in me and my coaches believing in me.”
Fields’ remarks, of course, referenced Johnson saying it would “look good” if the Jets could “complete a pass” during the NFL‘s annual fall owners meeting on Tuesday. The QB initially dismissed the critique the next day, saying, in part, it “doesn’t bother” him and “everyone knows” he and the team need to play better.
It remains to be seen if Johnson will respond following Sunday’s triumph. Still, given the two reportedly don’t have much of a relationship, it’s entirely possible the situation could be chalked up as a motivation tactic and forgotten in short order.
Still, with a result and performance like Week 8’s, Fields, regardless of any noise, appears to be moving in the right direction after nearly losing the QB1 reins to Tyrod Taylor before the veteran was ruled out Saturday with a knee injury.
Playing without top receivers Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds, Fields finished 21-of-32 for 244 yards—his second highest of 2025—and one touchdown, along with 11 carries for 31 yards and, most importantly, zero turnovers against Cincinnati.
New York will now enjoy a bye week before possibly revisiting the QB conversation entering a Week 10 meeting with the Cleveland Browns.
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