NFL News & Analysis

LA-NYJ grades: Rough start for Jets QB Bryce Petty in loss to Rams

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Bryce Petty #9 of the New York Jets looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium on November 13, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Rams 9, New York Jets 6

Here are the highest-graded players and most noteworthy performances from the Rams' 9-6 win over the Jets.

Los Angeles Rams

Quarterback grade: Case Keenum, 71.6

In some respects, this was a nightmare scenario for Rams. Case Keenum was not so bad as to encourage a quarterback change from the team, but nowhere near good enough that it would change opinions on him. Keenum played as safe a game as you’re likely to see from him, working largely on the short stuff with just three deep shots (20+ yards in the air). That was in part due to the Jets being blitz-heavy (18 of 35 dropbacks), and with just two sacks taken on those blitz packages, Keenum did a good enough job of making quick decisions and avoid costly turnovers.

Case Keenum vs pressure

Top offensive grades:

LG Rodger Saffold, 82.7

C Tim Barnes, 80.3

WR Kenny Britt, 79.1

RT Rob Havenstein, 75.1

LG Cody Wichmann, 74.1

It’s all a matter of perspective. Did the Rams' line over-perform, or were the skill players by and large so inconsequential that they got it done by default? In this case, it was a little from column A, a little from column B. The offensive line did a good job getting the Jets' defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage, and were money at the second level. The unit wasn't dominant, but they held their own in a way you haven’t always been able to say about them. Of the skill players, Kenny Britt got off to a hot start as he worked over Darrelle Revis, but as the game wore on, his influence waned.

Top defensive grades:

CB Troy Hill, 85.5

DT Aaron Donald, 84.0

S Maurice Alexander, 82.1

CB Trumaine Johnson, 74.3

DE Robert Quinn, 73.8

After a very rough start to the season, it’s encouraging to see Troy Hill continue his bounce back with a third strong performance in a row. It certainly helps that he was coming forward to receivers, a definite strength of his game, but he wasn’t the liability he might have been against the bigger New York targets. In the regular Aaron Donald update, he had himself a good game, but given what he’s done this year, you’d be wrong to think the Jets didn’t handle him pretty well. They had a good plan with a number of misdirection runs thrown in that worked in slowing him down and preventing him from taking over.

New York Jets

Quarterback grade: Bryce Petty, 38.7

Be careful what you wish for, Jets fans. Former Baylor QB Bryce Petty got his chance, and it did not go well. He struggled to engineer drives, and with just five throws going further than 10 yards in the air (including one wide-open miss that would have changed things dramatically), he was either the victim of conservative play-calling or the reason for it. This was the kind of debut that will have some Jets' fans wondering, “Why not give Christian Hackenberg a shot?”

Bryce Petty vs pressure

Top offensive grades:

RG Brian Winters, 77.5

RT Breno Giacomini, 74.3

WR Quincy Enunwa, 68.3

RB Bilal Powell, 67.6

RB Matt Forte, 65.9

This isn't exactly a group of top-five grades that grabs your attention. Indeed, when you’re third-highest-graded player is a receiver that caught one ball for 7 yards, something is off (although Quincy Enunwa got himself that high because of some excellent blocking, both downfield and at the line of scrimmage). The best thing you can say is the that the offensive line, faced with Aarond Donald and Robert Quinn, held up fairly well.

Top defensive grades:

CB Buster Skrine, 83.3

DE Sheldon Richardson, 81.4

CB Daryl Roberts, 81.2

LB David Harris, 77.1

S Calvin Pryor, 76.7

With Darrelle Revis (47.1 overall grade) having a tough day, it can at least be said that the other corners on the team performed well. Skrine allowed just five catches for 38 yards with one big pass breakup and, more importantly, given his historical troubles, he avoided drawing any flags. The defensive line of Sheldon Richardson, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Leonard Williams were likely licking their lips at their matchup before this game, but they didn’t have the kind of impact or game-changing plays this team needed.

PFF Game-Ball Winner: Alec Ogletree, LB, Rams

In a game nearly devoid of big plays, Alec Ogletree's (71.3) game-winning interception earned him the PFF Game-Ball.

PFF’s player grading process includes multiple reviews, which may change the grade initially published in order to increase its accuracy. Learn more about how we grade and access grades for every player through each week of the NFL season by subscribing to Player Grades.

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