New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith pushed his interceptions to a league-high 18 on Sunday in a 19-3 loss to the Ravens. Jets coach Rex Ryan declined to commit to the rookie as the starter for next week, and a change to backup Matt Simms seems imminent.
Smith went 9-of-22 for 137 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions against Baltimore. The offense looked anemic with the rookie under center but, unlike last week, Ryan chose to keep Smith in the game.
Ryan was quick to name Smith the starter after last weeks' loss to Buffalo, where Smith went 8-of-23 for 103 yards and three interceptions. After a similar performance against Baltimore, however, Ryan declined to immediately commit to smith as the starter for next week.
"I'm not going to talk about any individual," Ryan said after the loss, via the New York Daily News. "Starter, backup, whatever. I want to watch the tape."
It leaves the door open to Simms getting his first NFL star. The undrafted 2012 free agent played well in the preseason, and he played well (4/6, 60 YDS, 1 TD) when he replaced Smith in the fourth quarter of the Buffalo game.
At 5-6, the Jets are still alive in the wildcard race. Ryan needs wins - and likely a postseason appearance - to keep his job; one more poor performance from Smith may be enough to convince Ryan to make a quarterback change.
Regardless of Ryan's thoughts on the quarterback situation, he's unlikely to announce a demotion for Smith this early in the week. Despite the scrutiny, Smith is confident he'll remain the starter and believes the team can make it to the playoffs with him starting under center.
New York plays a crucial divisional game next weekend against the Miami Dolphins, in which the result could determine the rest of the Jets' season.
UPDATE (5:05 p.m.): Ryan said he believes Smith gives the team the best chance to win but declined to say whether Simms would receive first-team reps at practice, according to The Daily News.
