I know the Patriots already have the best quarterback situation in the NFL, but Bill Belichick should sign Ryan Fitzpatrick as a fourth QB in the offseason, if only to keep him from playing against the Pats any more.
Fitz had his best game of the season against New England yesterday at MetLife Stadium, and probably threw the prettiest pass of his 10-year career: a 22-yard strike over the Pats defenders and into the hands of an acrobatic Quincy Enunwa in the corner of the end zone. Enunwa was initially ruled out-of-bounds on the amazing grab, but the call was correctly overturned to give New York the lead with 10 minutes left in the hard-fought contest.
That lead didn’t last, as Gang Green ultimately came up short to its longtime nemesis. But it was still a game to remember for the franchise’s long-suffering fans.
Fitzpatrick has played the Patriots three times as a Jet, and he’s been uniformly great: 7 TDs, 0 INTs, a passer rating somewhere north of 100… and, despite all that, one win. After all, it’s New England. Year in, year out, they’re just better than the Jets. Then again, they’re better than just about everyone.
Tom Brady & Co. are well on their way to winning the AFC East for the ninth straight year, while Todd Bowles’ team is relegated to the division’s cellar. Still, the Jets have consistently stepped up against their rivals from up north, and yesterday was no different. They may well have put forth their best effort of 2016 on both sides of the ball, and spent most of the late afternoon making Brady look like a mere mortal--and a very old one at that.
But the Pats’ iconic signal-caller was lucky and good when he needed to be. Sometimes, he was both at once, as when he fumbled the ball a few yards from the end zone in the second quarter, only to see it bounce right back into his hands. While the rest of the stadium looked on in a Brady-induced mix of shock, awe and horror, the QB nonchalantly tossed a TD pass to receiver Malcolm Mitchell.
If only the home team was so fortunate -- or so good.
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To what’s next for New York? The Colts come to town next Monday, trying to keep alive their increasingly dim playoff hopes. The Jets, meanwhile, will be playing for pride. If you ask me, they should sit Fitz. It’s time to see what Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg can do.
We keep hearing Hackenberg isn’t ready. Well, the same was said for months about fellow rookie Jared Goff, and he did just fine on Sunday. As for Petty, he deserves a few starts to see if he’s got a future here.
I’m guessing Bowles won’t pull the plug on Fitz just yet though. And I don’t know if I can blame him. Whatever happens, the QB did himself proud against the Pats. It just wasn’t enough. With New England, it almost never is.
