One punch changed the entire direction of the New York Jets preseason, but the loss of quarterback Geno Smith isn’t likely to hurt them too much with capable veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick ready to step in.
ODDS
The Lions opened as 3-point chalk and that rose a half point to -3.5 following the news of Jets quarterback Geno Smith having his jaw broken from a punch by a teammate. The Lions are likely to sit their offensive regulars making the under a strong play. The total opened at 36.5.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
With Geno Smith sidelined with a broken jaw for 6-10 weeks, the quarterback chores fall on veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. In the short-term you can conclude the Jets could be better at that position in Smith’s absence. Fitzpatrick had a tremendous season in 2014 with Houston, outperforming Smith in every metric imaginable. Fitzpatrick will take some snaps and handle 12-15 plays. Rookies Bryce Petty and Jake Heaps are the other quarterbacks. The Jets will likely add another quarterback, but whoever that is won’t play on Thursday.
If Matthew Stafford plays it will only be for a series as the second team unit is expected to get a majority of the snaps in the preseason opener. Kellen Moore has been working with the second unit for most of camp with Dan Orlovsky taking snaps as the No. 3 quarterback. All three are in their second season together under offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who also said he expects Garrett Gilbert to play this preseason, but didn’t specify when.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
Jets head coach Todd Bowles didn’t even get to the frying pan. He went directly into the fire. In his short time on the job he’s had to deal with the transgressions of Sheldon Richardson and now the punch that leveled his projected starting quarterback. In the aftermath of losing Geno Smith, Bowles had his attention taken away from preparing his team for the preseason opener. He must also diffuse any rumors that the Jets clubhouse is out of control, which isn’t easy in the media circus that is New York.
Jim Caldwell will rest his skill players as the Lions work on their offensive and defensive line rotations while getting depth chart players live action needed to make quality assessments.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“You might look at it a little bit differently now, particularly once you get a feel for if a team is going to do it every single time they get an opportunity to score. The big thing is keep them out of the end zone, and you don’t have to worry about that.” – Lions head coach Jim Caldwell on going for a two-point conversion sooner with the change in the PAT spot.
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
With the loss of projected starting quarterback Geno Smith, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who would have been a more than capable backup after several outstanding seasons as a starter, was suddenly elevated to No. 1 on the depth chart. That leaves a gaping hole behind him with rookies Bryce Petty, a fourth-round pick this year out of Baylor, and undrafted free agent Jake Heaps as the only other quarterbacks on the roster. They will battle for the backup role and will likely have to contend with another signal-caller the team brings in while Smith recovers from his injury.
INJURIES
The Lions acquired Haloti Ngata to fill the shoes of Ndamukong Suh along the defensive line but he won’t be available for the preseason opener as he continues to nurse a hamstring strain.
Cornerback Dee Milliner will not suit up for the Jets after suffering a wrist injury in practice. The third-year player was aiming for a bounce-back season and was hoping to shake off the bust label after poor play and injuries derailed his first two seasons. He was looking to battle Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie at the corner spots but will now look forward to getting healthy.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Most of the offensive weapons for both sides won’t see the field for obvious reasons, so there is a good chance the point total will take a hit as well. The Jets have plenty to figure offensively, mainly who’s going to backup Ryan Fitzpatrick now that Geno Smith is out for a few months. That puts more emphasis on handling game situations and less on production for New York’s two rookies. The Lions will have their backup quarterbacks taking the snaps, but Kellen Moore and Dan Orlovsky have been around the system for a few years and give the Lions an adavantage.
Detroit 16, New York 9
The NFL odds for this Thursday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Lions were positioned as 3-point favorites with a total of 36.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
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