Ryan Fitzpatrick wins in a knockout.
Jets coach Todd Bowles said Tuesday that Fitzpatrick will remain the starting quarterback when Geno Smith is healthy enough to play again.
“Ryan’s our starting quarterback right now,” Bowles said on a conference call with reporters. “We’re going good. We have good chemistry going and everything else. Geno understands that. As we go, Ryan’s our quarterback. We’ll go forward from there.”
The Jets are off to a 2-0 start with Fitzpatrick at the helm. He has not been flashy but has played solid enough for the Jets to win. His quarterback rating ranks 15th in the NFL right now. He has completed 63.8 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
In Monday’s win over the Colts, Fitzpatrick went 22 for 34 for 244 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
“I thought he did a good job managing the ball game,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he threw the pick in the red zone down there that we don’t want. He did a good job, had command of the offense. He understood what they were trying to do to him. We stuck with the run, just didn’t go ahead and air it out all over the place, which kept their offense off the field as well. I thought he did a good job.”
Smith was expected to be the starting quarterback for the third straight season until IK Enemkpali punched him on Aug. 11, altering the Jets’ season. Smith suffered a broken jaw that required surgery. The original timeline for his return was 6-10 weeks. Tuesday was six weeks from the injury.
Bowles said at the time of the injury that if the team and Fitzpatrick were playing well, he would not make a change. He reiterated that Tuesday, saying when Smith is healthy he will be relegated to backing up Fitzpatrick.
“We’ll get Geno ready, but Ryan’s going to stay sharp and Ryan will be taking the first-team reps,” Bowles said.
Those around the NFL have noticed how well the Jets are playing with Fitzpatrick under center.
“The Jets are good, man,” one NFL coach wrote via text message during Monday night’s game. “They are better without Geno.”
Smith, to his credit, has handled the situation well. After Monday night’s win, Smith was cheering loudly and smiling broadly has he made his way to the Jets locker room, as fired up as anyone about the win.
Smith has been practicing on a limited basis for the past two weeks. Bowles said even when he is fully healthy, Smith is going to need time to get back into the swing of things.
“It’s like the start of training camp,” Bowles said. “When you haven’t read the defenses and set the fronts and called out blitz protections, that takes a minute. Once he gets back into that flow, I think it will start coming back to him pretty good.”
Fitzpatrick, 32, is in his 11th NFL season. The Jets are his fourth team in four years and sixth overall. He is the definition of a journeyman, but he has been perfect for the Jets, who acquired him in a March trade with the Texans.
With their punishing defense and strong running game, the Jets need a quarterback who will limit mistakes and manage the game. That is what Fitzpatrick has done. His interception Monday night was in the red zone, but did little damage to the Jets.
Fitzpatrick’s detractors will point to his 35-55-1 record as a starting quarterback, but he has been on some bad teams. This might be the best team he has ever been on. Fitzpatrick never has had receivers like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker or a top defense to complement him.
The Jets and Fitzpatrick look like a perfect marriage, and Smith is left waiting at the altar.
