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Jets QB competition muddled after loss to Redskins

REDSKINS 15 - JETS 13

Sam Darnold did not have a great night in the Jets 15-13 loss to the Washington Redskins, Thursday night.  But it was not like he did any severe damage to his chances to assume the starting job.

If the Jets quarterback competition is still a competition by its definition, New York did not get a lot of clarity in that regard as to whom will start Week 1.

 Teddy Bridgewater, who played the entire second half, was solid as he led the Jets on two long scoring drives, but one couldn’t help but get the feeling that Bridgewater’s effort was more of an advertisement to a potential trade. Or is it?
 
Meanwhile, Josh McCown didn’t play, as Todd Bowles pulled out a familiar script from last preseason by sitting the 39-year old for the entire contest.

Last year Bowles sat McCown in all but one preseason game because he settled on him as the starter. Did Bowles send that same message Thursday? Or has Darnold’s closed the gap enough that the coaching staff believes the USC product is starting right off the bat?

Only Bowles knows the answer at this point. If Bowles has settled on McCown, and won't play him than he has quickly turned this competition into a complete farce. 

Looking at the tape, Darnold had his good moments and his bad moments on Thursday.  He hurried a couple of throws, including his pass that was tipped in the air and picked off by Skins safety Troy Apke in the second quarter. Darnold was also sacked twice; the most glaring coming on a key third down at Washington’s 18-yard line because he held onto the football too long.

Not all of his mistakes were Darnold’s fault. A banged up offensive line that is missing Brian Winters and Ben Ijalana is a major concern for Gang Green moving forward. There were moments on the Jets first couple of possessions where Darnold really struggled to handle the blitz from Washington. It is fair to say the O-Line issues played a major part in his struggles.

As with any rookie there were moments of brilliance. Darnold made a couple of nice throws to Tre McBride under duress on New York’s 12-play 42-yard drive that ended in three points. By the end of the first half, Darnold finished 8-of-11 for 62 yards and the interception. If anything, Darnold looked and felt like a rookie.

As for Bridgewater he had his ups and downs too. He failed to move the Jets on New York’s first three possessions of the second half, but engineered a long 71-yard touchdown drive, with his best throw coming on a back-shoulder fade to Charone Peake for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Redskins lead to 12-10.

At times this summer, Bridgewater has been the Jets best quarterback. That usually is enough to win a starting job outright, but considering the circumstances, the Jets are more likely to deal Bridgewater for draft picks.

The Jets host the Giants next weekend. The Jets quarterback competition heads into another week with plenty of questions and little answers.

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