BALTIMORE — Can Matt Simms really be any worse than Geno Smith right now?
The question has to be asked inside the Jets’ offices after watching Smith stumble and bumble his way through a 19-3 loss to the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
It was the Jets’ second straight loss, the first time they lost consecutive games after alternating wins and losses through the season’s first 10 games.
In a word, Smith was awful. He threw two more interceptions, was terrible on third down and failed to provide any evidence he is the quarterback to lead this team. Simms is even more inexperienced than Smith, but it is fair to now wonder whether the Jets would be better off with him under center.
Smith understands people are going to want to see Simms after he completed 9-of-22 passes for 127 yards with the two interceptions. He was also credited with a tough fumble on a shotgun snap that hit a man in motion, bringing his season total for turnovers to an NFL high of 23.
“Two losses and that’s this league, man. Everyone wants to put a new quarterback in and I understand that,” Smith said. “I’m not worried about anything other than trying to get better and I’m not going to sit here and say that my job is 100 percent secure because every guy in this locker room has to prove themselves daily.”
Asked if he still believes he is the man to lead the Jets to the playoffs, Smith defiantly said: “I know I am.”
It did not look like it Sunday and it has not looked like it in a while. Smith has now gone 19 quarters without throwing a touchdown pass, dating back to the first quarter of the Patriots game on Oct. 20. In his last six games, he has thrown one touchdown and committed 12 turnovers.
“He’s had better days,” coach Rex Ryan said. “The turnovers, you know, the two interceptions, forced the issue down there. It looked like you’ve got to take a shot in that situation. … The numbers look bad, but at the time of the game and all that, it’s not the worst thing.”
Ryan had a bigger issue with drops by wide receivers than with Smith. Ryan seems to be falling into the same trap he did with a young Mark Sanchez, avoiding saying anything critical of the quarterback. But that is not going to fly in a locker room that knows it would have a better record right now with a better quarterback.
The Jets went 1-for-12 on third down and gained just 3 yards in the second quarter. A combination of good Jets defense and bad Ravens offense kept the score close until Jacoby Jones beat Jets defensive backs Dee Milliner and Ed Reed for a 66-yard touchdown at the end of the third quarter that made the score 19-3.
The loss drops the Jets to 5-6, where they are still tied for the sixth spot in the AFC playoff race somehow, but now would lose out on tiebreakers.
Jets players said the right things about Smith in the locker room, avoiding any direct criticism of the rookie quarterback but you can feel the resentment building, particularly among defensive players.
Smith was not the only one to blame on the offense, though. The offensive line gave up three sacks and the wide receivers failed to make many plays for Smith. Greg Salas and Santonio Holmes (combined three catches) were the only wide receivers to catch a ball. David Nelson had zero despite five targets and Stephen Hill had his third straight game with no catches.
“We have to be smart and we have to be honest with ourselves,” guard Willie Colon said. “What are we doing wrong? And why are we doing it wrong? We have to figure that out, and we have to do it in a hurry.”
The Jets’ only lead was 3-0. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker made four field goals to push it to a 12-3 lead as Baltimore had trouble moving the ball on a tough Jets defense.
This is the second straight game in which Smith’s play has been abysmal. After notching a 10.1 passer rating last week in Buffalo, he improved slightly to 22.3 this week.
“I just haven’t played well,” Smith said. “I don’t want to put my finger on anything [specific]. I just haven’t played well. It’s been very hot and cold. I’ve got to find a way, like I said, to spark this offense, whether it’s running the ball, maybe try to juke a guy, run a guy over, something to get things going.”
The Jets have five games left to make their playoff run. Right now, his teammates still support him.
“He’s going to continue to be our starter,” Holmes said, “and he’s going to get better each and every week and he’s going to lead us to where we need to be at sooner or later.”
The Jets’ next game comes next Sunday, which is Dec. 1. It’s starting to feel a whole lot later than sooner right now.