There are days where sports and real life collide to capture the full scope of human emotion. Examples that spring to mind are the Saints winning after Katrina and the Yankees lifting New York after 9/11. This Sunday in Cincinnati really proved to be one of those days, one where it all came together in something out of movie. Through seven weeks, the 2025 season had been all about the agony of defeat for the Jets. Almost nothing has gone right, with the team losing close games and blowouts alike. All the good vibes of training camp number one under Aaron Glenn that I talked about in the summer had gone. Unfortunately, all that sadness was compounded by the harsh reality of life Sunday morning before their clash with the Bengals.

Shortly before kickoff the Jets and the football world found that ring of honor member and fan favorite Nick Mangold had tragically passed at the age of 41. Tragically the former center succumbed to complications caused by a genetic kidney disease, one that he was diagnosed with in 2006. He had been looking for a transplant but unfortunately his illness took him from his family and the football world far too soon. This one was a shocker, and it really hurt to hear about as a fan, a teammate, or coach, exemplified by Rex Ryan’s sadness on ESPN Sunday morning.

I essentially saw all of Mangold’s career with gang green, and went to many of the games he played. And play he did, game after game, year after year. Number 74 was a leader and warrior in the trenches, and a tone setter in the room. He was the heartbeat on the best teams the Jets have had since the turn of the millennium, and always comported himself well off the field. He was good with the media, and even more run out on the town, like when he cheered for the Rangers during their 2010’s playoff runs. He was a Buckeye by birth, but he was also a New Yorker and above all a Jet. May he rest in peace and our thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends.

As for Sunday’s contest with the Bengals, the game began in typical Jets fashion. The offense sputtered while the defense made fools of themselves against Jet Joe Flacco. Somehow this season from hell was on course to achieve another new low. All of the negatives were being reinforced and the past week only felt like it had sewed the seeds for this game. This game week had featured Woody Johnson destroying QB Justin Fields in the media, while Aaron Glenn refused to name a starters under center for fear of giving the Bengals “competitive edge.”

But the team dug deep and started to battle back for themselves and their head coach, in search of a first win on the year. They cut into their two score deficit with solid drives, keyed by Breece Hall who went for 133 yards and a pair of rushing TD’s. The defense managed to get another stop which put the ball back in the hands of Justin Fields and the offense. The embattled QB was in the middle of a fine day himself and was looking to get his team the lead…but Aaron Glenn and OC Tanner Engstrand had something up their sleeve.

Now I could make an argument that trick plays with your first win of the year on the line is a bit too bold, but hey, it worked. Full marks to Breece for chucking it and an even better job by Mason Taylor to pull it down. The defense would hold one more time for 39-38 win in the Queen City. From there it was party time in the locker room as the team celebrated the victory with their head coach, his first in charge of the Jets.

Glenn and his team earned this one. They went through hell and back, one they inflicted on themselves by the way, but finally get to taste a win. It’s a good thing they did because it was beginning to feel like they may not get there at all this year, with limited chances left to win one. Being on the right side of this thriller makes up for some of the close call losses earlier in the season, but in the end they only had themselves to blame. Yes I know tanking would be best for this group, and I agree many more wins is bad for business, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if Glenn builds on this with a few more W’s. It needs to be established if he can really coach this team and improve with them week to week. He’ll get a chance to do just that when they host the Browns after this week’s bye.

Whether or not the Jets players and coaches were aware of Mangold’s passing is hard to fully confirm. What’s even harder to establish is if it played any role at all in inspiring the team to a win. Regardless of all that, it was poetic this team won in gritty fashion, just the way Mangold would have wanted it. As you may already know, I’m a big believer in the healing power of sports, and it felt like yesterday was one of those healing days. The win may end up meaning very little in the end, but on Sunday October 25th the Jets won one for their fallen favorite and their head coach and their fans.

We haven’t written much about the football locals at all this year. While we cover them in the Four Downs pod, we will get back to them in the weeks ahead as yours truly should have some time on his hands. The Yankees and a two week European vacation took me away from covering these two messes…but cover them we will! Stay tuned for more in the days and weeks to come everyone!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.