Jets should keep starting Josh McCown for the rest of season

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Nov 13, 2017

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 12: Quarterback Josh McCown #15 of the New York Jets throws a pass in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 12, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

As the New York Jets enter their bye week after yet another disappointing loss, it’s clear that Josh McCown should continue being their starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

The New York Jets blew a golden opportunity to enter their bye week with a second straight win as they, unfortunately, dropped the ball yet again. Looking over every aspect of this Week 10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s clear that the Jets didn’t remember what it was like to play winning football like they did just a week before in their huge Thursday Night Football win over the Buffalo Bills.

While it looks like the Jets regressed, a loss is a loss. With any loss, questioning if certain players should continue starting will always come, especially when it comes to the most important position on the team at quarterback.

At the end of the day, stats will always tell the story on a player if they’re worth starting or not. Forget about the fact that quarterback Josh McCown is 38-years-old and look at his current stat line.

At this point in time, McCown has totaled 2,242 passing yards, 216 completions, 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. So far in his entire career, 2017 will more than likely end up being his best season ever when it comes to all these key stats. McCown also has a 69.0 percent completion rate which is among the best in the NFL.

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The Jets have overachieved tremendously this season as a lot of young players have been stepping up and most importantly of all, are being developed for the future. Now, with McCown starting, that obviously brings up the elephant, well, elephants in the room as to what should the Jets do with Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.

Knowing how head coach Todd Bowles is when it comes to what to do at quarterback, his message has always been consistent since the moment he got the job. He’s all about winning football games and McCown under center will put the Jets in a position to succeed.

The Jets are 4-6 so far this season and a big reason for that is the play, execution, and leadership of McCown. This team isn’t tanking anytime soon and will continue to play hard and hustle in every single game they’re in.

Due to this, the Jets should continue doing what works and keep riding the hot hand. McCown puts the Jets in a situation where making an appearance in the NFL Playoffs is still very much possible. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time since they can go over last week’s loss to the Buccaneers and take a real snapshot of how the season has been progressing so far with the goal of making the necessary adjustments moving forward.

Petty won’t be able to lead the Jets offense like McCown has and forget about Hackenberg. Both young players are backups for a reason and the only situation that the Jets should even consider giving either of them starting time is if McCown gets injured, plays terrible on a consistent basis, or if they are completely eliminated from making the playoffs.

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With six games left on the schedule after their bye week, it’s gut-check time. It’s happened before in the NFL so it’s not a crazy thought to believe the Jets can make a serious run if they can work out their issues with penalties, blown assignments, and overall execution. It won’t be easy but at least when it comes to their quarterback situation, the Jets couldn’t ask for anything more out of McCown who has been a bright spot this season both on the field and off it.