As a former first-round pick, New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields is no stranger to pressure. The former Ohio State signal-caller struggled through his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Things had gotten even worse with the New York Jets, though.

An 0-7 start, a mid-game benching, and public criticism from team owner Woody Johnson had left Fields’ future with Gang Green — and as an NFL quarterback — in jeopardy.

But after all the criticism and concerns about his play style, Fields delivered one of his finest performances in New York’s 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

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It also highlighted just how strong a person and leader the Jets currently have at quarterback.

Fields’ maturity shines in win

Even after Sunday’s win, no one is going to mistake Fields for a franchise quarterback.

But the upset victory did highlight one aspect of Fields that isn’t talked about enough: his maturity.

Here was a quarterback who was dragged by ownership just days earlier, delivering a solid start to help his team win on Sunday. After being blamed as the sole reason for New York’s winless start to the season, Fields was now a major part of the victory.

And it left him humbled coming off the field.

“It’s been a lot for me, emotionally, spiritually,” Fields said after the game. “When I was on the field, I damn near started crying. Not because we won, but because of the goodness of God and how everything worked for the greater good.”

Fields completed 21 of 32 passes for 244 yards, a touchdown, and 31 rushing yards. He finished with zero sacks or turnovers, helping to erase multiple two-score leads and keep New York in the game when all hope seemed lost.

His even-keel approach carried over after the game.

“Everything I’ve been through this past week, everything that we’ve been through as a team these past seven weeks — it’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Fields said. “I’ve had a lot of support from my teammates, my brothers, my family, and my friends. Most of all, I’m just thankful for the Lord.”

Fields later dismissed all comments made by Woody Johnson as “outside noise” and focused the conversation on the team’s win instead of his own performance.

It’s further evidence of who the Jets have at quarterback. As a person and as a leader, New York has to be thrilled with the 26-year-old. He carries himself like a franchise signal-caller.

The issue is that his play has never fully matched those intangibles.

While it’s fair to question whether Fields can ever become the kind of consistent passer New York needs him to be, Sunday’s victory was a reflection of who he is as a man.

And that person is someone the Jets love to play for.

Jets speak out on Fields

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn heard all the noise surrounding his quarterback room this week. Reports indicated that Tyrod Taylor was in line to start before a knee injury placed him on the inactive list.

Like Fields, Glenn has been the subject of harsh criticism over the last few months. His Jets team has looked unprepared, undisciplined and overwhelmed by the competition through the first half of the 2025 season.

Like his quarterback, though, Glenn came through with an excellent performance in Sunday’s win.

Afterward, he made sure to highlight how good Fields was for the team — and how important he has been to changing the culture of the organization.

“Who he is as a person, his faith, and the way he goes about his business, he was primed to be able to do something like that. He’s primed to be able to handle situations like this,” Glenn said. “It’s so unfair to him, it really is, that he gets criticized so much.”

Much like his quarterback, the jury is still out on Glenn as a head coach in this league. But if he carries himself with even close to the kind of maturity and growth that Fields showed on Sunday, the Jets might end up being okay after all.