On the opening drive of the second half, McNeil's 35-yard run gave the Jets a first down on the Cincinnati 27-yard line. But on the next play, Todd threw a pass that was deflected by Glenn Cameron and intercepted by defensive back Ken Riley. Following a punt, McNeil's 33-yard run put the New York on the Bengals 30, and this time the team managed to cash in with a 47-yard Leahy field goal, giving them a 23–14 lead. Anderson led the Bengals back, completing passes to Ross and Steve Kreider for gains of 25 and 17 yards as the team drove 75 yards to score on Jim Breech's 20-yard field goal. So despite giving up 20 unanswered points, the Bengals were only trailing 23–17. And on the last play of the third quarter, Bengals safety Bobby Kemp forced a fumble from Gaffney that cornerback Mike Fuller recovered and returned 20 yards to the Jets 35.