Another week, another psychological hurdle for these Jets to clear

CINCINNATI — It’s been a typical week for the Jets, which is to say it’s been stressful and chaotic, and less about what’s actually in front of them — Sunday’s game at Cincinnati — and too much about peripheral nonsense. 

The week began with team owner Woody Johnson publicly throwing starting quarterback Justin Fields under the bus and leaving him as roadkill, blaming his struggles for the team’s 0-7 record. 

It continued with head coach Aaron Glenn deciding he was going to keep which quarterback will start — Fields or backup Tyrod Taylor — a secret most of the week, before it slipped that Fields would return under center with Taylor with a knee issue. Glenn played it this way to create a “competitive advantage” — though it’s highly unlikely Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden lost a millisecond of REM sleep over the big reveal. 

Then there’s the prospect of facing Joe Flacco, the Bengals’ ageless wonder at quarterback who spent 2020-22 with the Jets with Johnson all but shoving him out the door as old, over the hill and finished.