NY Jets: Ryan Fitzpatrick chasing franchise history

With the NY Jets on Sunday, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is on the verge of more than just the touchdown record. There are other franchise milestones he can reach as well.

First and foremost, Fitzpatrick is one touchdown away from the franchise record of most ever in a single season.  He’s going to be the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for 30 touchdowns.  That will take the Jets off of a dubious list.  That will leave the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans as the only franchises without a quarterback to ever throw for 30 touchdowns in a season.

The second record he can set is completions in a season.  He is 25 completions away from breaking Brett Favre‘s record of 343 completions in a season.  He can also set a new passing yards mark.  He is 284 yards away from breaking Joe Namath‘s single season mark of 4,007.  In doing so, he’d join Namath as the only two in franchise history with 4,000 yards in one season.

The second milestone he could reach involves yards, completion percentage and attempts.  He would join Favre as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to have a season of 500+ attempts, 60+% passing and 3,000+ yards.  With a win and a subsequent playoff berth, Fitzpatrick would join Namath, Mark Sanchez and Vinny Testaverde as the only quarterbacks to win 11 games in a season.

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So, does that mean Fitzpatrick is having the best season any quarterback has had in Jets history?  I guess it’s dependent upon from which prism you are looking.

From a regular season only prism, then of course.  If he achieves all the milestones and sets all the records, he will then be able to claim the best individual quarterback season in franchise history.

However, if you look from a total body of work standpoint, it would probably be the third or fourth best individual season.  Testaverde was 12-1, completed 61.55 of his passes threw for 29 touchdowns and led the team to the AFC Championship Game. Namath threw for 3,000+ yards, had an 11-3 record and won the Super Bowl, while Sanchez was 11-5 and went to the AFC Championship Game.

Dec 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws a pass while being rushed by New England Patriots defensive tackle Alan Branch (97) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

While Namath did win the Super Bowl, the AFL Eastern Division was horrible that year.  So, the regular season was basically a guarantee (no pun intended). If the standings hold, a berth in the AFC Championship Game would be enough to solidify his season as the best in franchise history.  A win would give me no doubts.

The Jets would then have to go to Cincinnati, then go to Gillette Stadium and then most likely Denver or Kansas City.  That would be a much tougher task than even beating a good Raiders team at home.  Also, losing in the Super Bowl wouldn’t diminish Fitzpatrick’s season, because every team in the NFC, except for the Redskins, are on equal footing or better than the Jets.

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In one season, Fitzpatrick went from relative mediocrity to what could be a franchise-best season.  He finally has complementary pieces around him and now we get to see his true potential.  The sky is the limit if Fitzpatrick takes care of business on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and takes that momentum straight into the playoffs.