The Jets walked away with a 25-17 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the pre-season is all about self-evaluations and play implementation. Not to say that Rex Ryan doesn’t care about the end result.

Quarterback Geno Smith once again played with greater poise than he did in his rookie season. Throws came out neither rushed nor late. The Jets coaching staff is now allowing him to take shots downfield, and while they aren’t always connecting, it is a positive sign in their trust in Smith’s progression.

Smith fired a beauty of a pass towards the end of the first half, but followed it up with a bullet to the Bengals. It did seem, however, that intended receiver David Nelson cut his route short; a miscue that caused the interception. He flashed with his legs on multiple occasions, including a spin out of the pocket, a run in the red zone to set up a Powell score, and a read-option QB-keeper for seven points. A lingering question remains: should Smith improve, will his supporting cast even be enough to form an average or better offense?

The Jets’ safety net at quarterback, veteran Michael Vick, had another respectable showing. Vick finished five of nine for 70 yards and a touchdown. What was most impressive was his verbiage in a post-play interview. His relationship is “like a big brother” to Geno Smith, and it is more evident now than ever that he is with the Jets to mentor Smith and the rest of his teammates, while being ready anytime his number may be called.

Running backs Chris Johnson and Bilal Powell both saw heavy time, with Chris Ivory still sidelined with a rib injury sustained last week. Johnson gained 63 yards on 10 carries and looked as healthy as ever. Powell looked to be in early 2013 form (when he led the AFC in rushing). He contributed 54 total yards and a touchdown. It was his highlight rush for 32 yards that drew the most acclaim.

For a team that takes a lot of criticism on offense, the team’s running back depth chart will have many teams jealous during the regular season.

First-time cornerback Antonio Allen was completely exposed by Bengals WR A.J. Green, and not just because he is a top-tier talent at his position. Green was able to find a wealth of separation – sometimes via coverage slips, other times via out-powering his defenders. The blame is not solely on Allen; he was placed into a near unwinnable scenario, with not much of anything in the way of assistance in the secondary. Kyle Wilson had just as poor of a showing, and he was drafted as a first-round corner.

Your favorite wideout Stephen Hill found himself in the middle of a little scrap between the teams, but the spark was actually a pleasant surprise from Hill. Get frustrated; I’d be, too, if I was a second round receiver with his stats the past two seasons, while struggling through injuries. The fiery attitude paid off with a 17 yard reception, his first of the pre-season.

Linebacker Demario Davis had a nice fumble-forcing sack (2nd Q), with the ball being recovered by rookie safety Calvin Pryor in his first live game action. Davis had a well-rounded game, which also featured a tipped pass on third down. Pryor demonstrated some of the big hits that earned him the nickname ‘Louisville Slugger’ in college.

Other Player/Game Notes:

Virtually unknown linebacker A.J. Edds continues to make plays, off a notable performance in week one of the pre-season. A former 2010 fourth-round pick of the Dolphins, Edds was signed to the roster in May after a tryout. Against the Colts, Edds led the team with eight combined tackles. On Saturday night, he showed great sideline-to-sideline pace, while adding a team-leading five combined tackles.

Cornerback Darrin Walls secured a silver lining for the cornerback position, with an interception that sealed the win for the Jets.

As a whole, the Jets starting defense looked weaker than what most fans have grown accustomed to. In the same breath, the play calls were vanilla (with no sprinkles). The Jets play at their best when blitzing, and Rex Ryan clearly limited his men in the second preseason matchup of the year. The playbook opened up a little in the later stages of the game, and the Jets showed better for it.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd received his first in-game action, in battle with Matt Simms for the third quarterback spot on the depth chart. He put on a forgettable performance: one of five for six yards. He played exclusively with a fourth quarter squad.

Oday Aboushi started the game at left guard in place of Brian Winters, while both saw action. Most, including myself, believe that Winters will start the regular season, but his rookie season play deserves this sort of competition. Neither looked significantly better than the other. Aboushi also played at tackle.

WR Eric Decker did not play, as a precaution due to injury; Jalen Saunders did not play after a ‘medical incident’ and/or single-car accident. Reports are contradicting. TE Jace Amaro limped off with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter, but it did not look too serious to the naked eye.

Sixth-round pick DE/OLB IK Enemkpali continued where he left off against the Colts, adding a blocked punt to his film. Last week he had a strip-sack which would set up the team’s game-winning field goal. He forced another fumble on Saturday night, but it was recovered by the Bengals offense.

WR Greg Salas continues to rise. My number two camp sleeper walked into the locker room with two solid receptions for 31 yards. CBS Columnist Jeff Capellini put it best…

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