Tyrod Taylor performed well enough in the New York Jets’ Week 12 loss that he will have the starting quarterback job for the rest of the season unless head coach Aaron Glenn wants to give rookie third-stringer Brady Cook a look.
The long-time backup completed 17 of 28 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown, and an interception in the 23-10 defeat at the Baltimore Ravens, and the fact that Glenn lauded the majority of the outing shows just how bad things had been under center with Justin Fields before benching last Monday.
“I thought [Taylor] operated very well as far as getting guys in and out of the huddle,” Glenn said. “I thought there was a tempo that he did a good job with. The communication was OK. There are some things communication-wise that we need to improve on… but as far as him handling the situation, especially coming off the week that we had as far as him being the guy and him doing every pay, I thought he did a really good job for us. Looking forward to how he’ll operate moving forward.”
Sunday’s Week 13 meeting with the Atlanta Falcons brings a matchup with a top-10 pass defense and with a pass rush that ranks third in the NFL with 30 sacks this season.
Figure to see even more of running back Breece Hall, who was limited to 16 rushes for 44 yards and a costly fumble in the loss to Baltimore. Those 16 attempts were his lowest since Week 7, but he did add four catches for a season-high 75 receiving yards.
While John Metchie continues to emerge as a viable receiving target, expect Hall to be used as Taylor’s ultimate security blanket.
The Falcons are navigating through life without Michael Penix after the second-year passer went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Veteran Kirk Cousins stepped in and helped Atlanta snap a five-game losing streak with a 24-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints, further cementing head coach Raheem Morris’ comments mid-week that the former Viking and Commander would have the starting job for the “foreseeable future.”
In two starts, Cousins has completed 69% of his passes for 372 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Of course, he is not the threat that the Jets will be honing in on. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ranks third in the NFL with 1,396 scrimmage yards as a true dual threat out of the backfield. His 11.1 yards per catch ranks first among all NFL running backs, while his 543 receiving yards rank second. His 853 rushing yards rank eighth in the league.
