Geno Smith never got pulled during Sunday’s 19-3 loss to the Ravens, but he may have played poorly enough to get himself pulled for next week’s game against the Dolphins.
During his press conference on Sunday afternoon, Jets coach Rex Ryan wouldn’t name Smith his starter for the matchup with Miami. Ryan said Smith has “had better days” and that he needed to watch tape of the game before making his decision about the starter for a game that will loom large for both 5-6 teams as they try to stay in the race for the second Wild Card in the AFC.
Smith was 9-of-22 for 127 yards and two interceptions on Sunday, continuing a six-game string that has seen him throw one touchdown and 10 interceptions. There’s very little help around him on offense, which means the Jets haven’t had much choice but to lean on Smith when they fall behind in games. It’s been too much for the rookie to handle, although he left no doubt about his confidence in his ability to do it in his post-game comments.
Ryan had a very slow trigger finger when it came to making a move with Mark Sanchez last season, but his job is a bit more reliant on how things turn out this season than they were in 2012. The other options -- Matt Simms and David Garrard -- aren’t particularly attractive, but neither is the prospect of throwing Smith out there again next week.