After a sluggish open, the Jets offense started to find groove in the second half against the Lions.
Led by quarterback Bryce Petty, the unit accounted for 198 of the team's 241 total yards. The offensive line provided Petty with time in the pocket as he finished 15/24 for 160 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. The turnover was a desperation heave to the end zone with less than 15 seconds left in regulation.
"I thought I played pretty well, but at the end of the day it's all about did you win or did you lose," Petty said. "I thought we executed plays better than last week, which is something that I wanted to do coming in to today.
"We just have to finish drives. When you put in all that work, eight to ten plays to get down there, let's finish it. That starts with me executing and making sure we're in the best play possible. And ball placement on my part. There are definitely things to work on, but I'm happy with the execution of that group."
The 6'3", 230-pounder led the team on two scoring drives, resulting in Ross Martin 31- and 28-yard field goals. On the Jets' first scoring drive, Petty and the offense started on their own eight-yard line and drove the ball 74 yards on 13 plays. WR Myles White accounted for 36 yards, highlighted by a 23-yard gain that put the Jets in plus territory.
"He moved the ball, but he didn't score any points," head coach Todd Bowles said of Petty's performance. "When you don't score any points, you can't win ball games. But he had some good throws and some good plays here and there."
Petty's game performance followed a strong week of practice, delivering multiple scores with limited reps compared to Hackenberg and Josh McCown, who didn't play against Detroit.
"I was a lot more comfortable than I was last week in operating and understanding what Coach Morton wants when he's calling plays," Petty said. "All that comes with reps and time. I knew it was a process coming in. It's the first time I've ever ran a West Coast system and I absolutely love it. I'm excited to work every day and learn something in that quarterback rom with Coach Bates."
