Less than a week after QB Geno Smith relieved Ryan Fitzpatrick against the Cardinals, the two signal callers swapped roles in the Jets' 24-16 win over the Ravens.
While last week's quarterback change was an attempt to spark the offense, Sunday's swamp was a result of injury. In the second quarter, Smith rolled to his left as the pocket collapsed and was eventually brought down by Ravens OLB Matt Judon, landing awkwardly on his knee.
"I just tried to avoid the guy, getting away from a sack and he was able to grab a hold of me," Smith said. "Something just felt funny when I got up. I don't think it'll be anything too significant, but we'll see."
Prior to his departure, Smith was effective leading the offense, throwing for 95 yards on four completions and converting 50% of on third down. The four-year veteran connected with WR Quincy Enunwa for a 69-yard TD, tying the second-longest touchdown pass of Smith's career.
"I felt good, I felt like we were moving at times," Smith said after the game. "We had a few key plays on third down that we all wish we had back, but I felt good overall. Who knows what could have happened throughout the game, but in that brief stand I felt good."
As Smith was being evaluated, Fitzpatrick checked in and led the team on a seven play 85-yard scoring drive with the Jets trailing 13-7. The 12-year veteran found RB Matt Forte on a 13-yard TD reception to give the Jets a 14-13 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
Fitzpatrick completed nine of his 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown as the offense received a boost from the running game. Matt Forté and the backfield amassed 155 yards against what was the league's top rush defense. The Jets defense also aided the offensive success, forcing two takeaways in the third quarter, ultimately leading to 10 points.
"This was a great winning formula today. Our defense played great, we ran the ball, we had a lead," Fitzpatrick said. "We're going to make our big plays when we can make them, but be smart with the ball and it's a good formula for us. Hopefully we can continue it."
Despite watching the second half in street clothes, Smith kept his spirits high as the team got back to its winning ways.
"The key thing is that we won the game today," he said. "We got a win. We were able to go out and execute. We did some good things. I'll be fine either way, but the main thing is that we continue to build on this success that we had today."
Following the game, head coach Todd Bowles was non-committal in regard to who will be the starter Week 8 against the Browns as Smith has yet to undergo an MRI.
"It's too early to tell right now," Bowles said. "I want to see what the injury status is before I make that determination."
