Down 38-24 in the fourth quarter, the New York Jets (1-7) rallied to beat the Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) by a score of 39-38 on Sunday in Week 8 of the NFL season.

Despite the loss, former Clemson stars Barrett Carter and Tee Higgins made big plays for their Bengals team during the game.

On the Jets’ first possession of the game, Carter made a tackle for loss against Jets running back Breece Hall on fourth-and-1 from New York’s 37-yard line, forcing a turnover on downs.

Carter’s stop led to a Bengals touchdown five plays later that gave them an early 10-0 lead. Carter finished the contest with eight total tackles.

The rookie linebacker entered Sunday’s game with 40 total tackles this season after being selected by Cincinnati in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, Higgins had only one reception in Sunday’s game, but it was a huge one. He hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco, giving Cincinnati a 17-3 lead with 10:45 to play in the second quarter.

It marked his eighth straight home game with a touchdown dating back to last season.

Higgins entered Sunday’s game with 24 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Back in March, Higgins finalized a four-year deal with Cincinnati worth $115 million, with the first two years guaranteed. The 26-year-old is under contract with the Bengals through the 2028 season.

The long-term deal was a long time coming for Higgins, who has emerged as one of the NFL’s top young wideouts and been a highly productive playmaker for the Bengals since they drafted him in the second round (No. 33 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft.

–Photo courtesy of Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images