'I'm going to get pretty vulnerable': Justin Fields details emotional week leading up to Jets' first win

The New York Jets rallied with a 23-point fourth quarter on Sunday to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals for their first win of the season, snapping a dreadful seven-game losing streak. It was a cathartic experience for quarterback Justin Fields, who played some of his best football of the year in the 39-38 triumph.

The win capped off an emotional week for Fields. He shed light on the trials he faced in recent days following a brief benching and pointed comments from Jets owner Woody Johnson, who openly criticized his quarterback amid the extended losing spell.

"I've been praying like crazy just for a win," Fields said after the win. "I'm going to get pretty vulnerable right here. This week, I found myself in my closet crying on the ground, laying down. Not because of the hardships, not because of the troubles. I felt like I was built to handle that and I was put in a place to handle this situation. But in that moment when I was talking to my best friend how hard it was and just not wavering faith-wise."

Jets coach Aaron Glenn pulled Fields out of the lineup during the Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers and replaced him with backup Tyrod Taylor. Both quarterbacks struggled mightily in the defeat, and Glenn was coy on who would handle the starting reps against the Bengals until a knee injury held Taylor out and sent Fields back into the lineup.

Fields' reinsertion into the offense came after the team owner took a jab at the quarterback play. Johnson publicly pointed out Fields' middling efficiency ratings and placed much of the blame on the Jets' poor start on the quarterback while shielding Glenn from criticism.

"It's been a lot for me emotionally, spiritually," Fields said. "When I was on the field, I was damn near about to start crying. Not because we won, but just because of the greatness of God and just how everything works for the greater good, everything I've been through this past week, everything that we've been through as a team these past seven weeks. It was a lot of ups and downs. I got a lot of support from my teammates, from my brothers, from my family, from my friends. Most of all, I'm just thankful."

Fields fought through the adversity to post one of his best performances of the season. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Bengals and handled 11 carries for an additional 31 yards. The Jets trailed by double digits on three separate occasions, but Fields and running back Breece Hall strung together scoring drive after scoring drive in the final quarter to erase their deficits and jump ahead in the final minutes.