The New York Jets are making a change at quarterback.
After Justin Fields’ poor outing last Thursday night against the New England Patriots, New York is benching their starter for veteran Tyrod Taylor, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Taylor will get his second start this season, his first coming in Week 3 when Fields was recovering from a concussion.
The 36-year-old veteran will face the team that drafted him, the Baltimore Ravens, 180th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.
With Fields’ recent struggles, head coach Aaron Glenn likely sees an opportunity to capitalize on their opponent’s weakness, with the Ravens’ secondary ranking among the worst in the league.
Justin Fields Benched for Poor Play
It’s no secret that Fields has been one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL this season.
In nine starts, the former Ohio State standout has completed 62.7% of his passes for 1259 yards, to go along with seven touchdowns and one interception.
On the ground, he’s run the ball 71 times for 383 yards and four touchdowns, losing two fumbles.
While the stats don’t sound terrible on the surface, Fields’ play has been anything but good.
His propensity to hang onto the ball too long and take sacks is maddening.
Fields is the fifth-most-sacked quarterback in the league as of Week 12, having been wrapped up by opposing defenders 27 times.
It was time for the Jets to make a change at quarterback, and it was something Glenn said he was going to take a look at last Friday after the team’s loss to the New England Patriots.
“Obviously, we have to do a better job in the passing game and that has a lot to do with Justin getting the ball to the right guys,” Glenn said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“I’m evaluating everything, to be honest with you.”
The first-year head coach certainly sounded more open to a change under center than he had in recent weeks.
During the Thursday night loss, Fields threw for 116 yards, and only 23 in the first half.
It was the fifth start for the former first-round pick, where he failed to throw for more than 120 passing yards.
Will Tyrod Taylor Give the Jets a Spark?
With the New York Jets virtually out of the playoff picture at 2-8, it’s not like they’re hoping Taylor will come in and lead the Jets to seven straight wins.
What they are hoping for, though, is more stability on offense.
The fact of the matter was that New York had little to no passing game when Fields was under center, and Taylor, despite being less athletically gifted, will give the Jets more consistent quarterback play.
In three appearances and one start, Taylor has completed 62.3% of his passes for 379 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, albeit two of those games the veteran came in as relief for either a benched or injured Fields.
Their next opponent, the Baltimore Ravens, are currently letting up an average of 232.7 passing yards per game, good for 24th worst in the league.
Taylor should give the Jets a better chance to win on Sunday, and that is precisely what Glenn is hoping for by inserting the veteran in as the starter.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jets Make Quarterback Decision After Lousy Justin Fields Performance appeared first on Heavy Sports.