If you were a Jets fan hoping that Bryce Petty could actually challenge journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick to start now that Geno Smith is out of action with a broken jaw, Thursday night’s preseason game against the Lions did not fan the flames of hope.
Petty completed just 10 of 18 pass attempts for 50 yards. He completed nothing over 10 yards in the air, attempting only three such passes, and looked very uncomfortable at times.
The Baylor offense is far from NFL-friendly, relying on spread concepts and wide-open single-covered receivers down the field all day long. In an NFL offense, with a little more nuance to it, Petty looked in over his head for much of the game.
The physical tools were clearly all there, but the adjustment period for him is going to be significant. There was even one play where he either forgot he was supposed to be under center, or (a more concerning possibility) simply didn’t know and had to be physically shoved into the correct position by veteran running back Bilal Powell.
Fitzpatrick by contrast only played the first series with the first-teamers, but completed two of his three passes and was close to completing the third but for a nice play by the defender to break it up. The placement of that final pass was dangerous, but at this point he looks the only real option for the Jets at QB until Smith is healthy. As we wrote earlier this week, he has been better than you might expect the past two seasons.
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