The New York Jets took on the Cleveland Browns in Week Eight. The Jets beat the Browns 31-28 to improve to 3-5 on the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick benefited from the absence of Geno Smith who suffered a torn ACL against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Fitzpatrick got the start after being benched at the end of Week Six and to start the game in Week Seven.
New York Jets Week Eight Takeaways
Fitzpatrick Got An Easy Matchup
This was an easy matchup for Fitzpatrick going into this game, but it didn’t look that way at first. In the first half he looked terrible. He completed three of 14 pass attempts for 30 yards. Even Joe Namath wanted Fitzpatrick to be benched.
Who thinks we should see Bryce Petty start the 2nd half? I know I do. It hurts to say this, but we’re not goin anywhere with Fitzpatrick.
— Joe Namath (@RealJoeNamath) October 30, 2016
Fitzpatrick did pick things up in the second half of the game as he led the Jets to 24 unanswered points. He finished the day 16/34 for 228 yards and one touchdown. He played another week without an interception which is a big deal for Fitzpatrick after his interception-throwing frenzy the first few weeks of the season.
Still he was facing the winless Browns. He hasn’t been put in a difficult situation since playing the Arizona Cardinals in Week Six. Even last week when the Jets came back against the Ravens, Fitzpatrick’s performance was only fine. It was really Matt Forte who led the Jets to victory with 100 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 54 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
The Running Game was Strong
Forte carried the Jets last week. When Forte is on, he is truly on. This was another one of those games. He finished with 25 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
This game didn’t just feature Forte, however. Bilal Powell had his best game of the year as well. In just six carries he had 76 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play was a 35-yard touchdown run.
Both these running backs helped bring the Jets back in the game, take the lead, and keep the lead. While Fitzpatrick played much better in the second half and the defense had two interceptions, the running game was the difference maker in this game.
The Jets Still Face A Difficult Task in Trying to Make the Playoffs
The Jets have won two in a row and are showing some signs of life. In the end it was the Browns who they beat which isn’t saying much. The Browns lost to every team they faced this year. The only difference between the position the Jets are in now compared to before the win is that it pretty much eliminates them from receiving the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
With that being said, the only realistic way the Jets make the playoffs is if they only lose one game or none at all. It is possible for them to make the playoffs if they lose two, but they have to hope for an absolute miracle.
The only way for the Jets to keep this pace is to have Fitzpatrick keep things up even against a tougher team such as the New England Patriots. Of course if the Jets gave Bryce Petty or even Christian Hackenberg a shot, perhaps one of them can be the next Dak Prescott or Carson Wentz.
Nonetheless it appears that Petty or Hackenburg won’t get a chance until Fitzpatrick shows signs of poor play. Considering he has played fairly well for the last two weeks and Todd Bowles was originally hesitant for a change a few weeks ago, right now it seems like he’ll be playing next week as well.
