Justin Fields injury update makes Jets’ Week 2 disaster even worse

The New York Jets were thoroughly whooped in their Week 2 dismantling at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and at least some of the blame can be placed on quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields put together one of the worst games not only of his professional career but by any Jets quarterback in recent memory, completing just three passes for 27 yards before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent head injury.

Unfortunately for the Jets, the update here is a worst-case scenario. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters after the game that Fields has been diagnosed with a concussion and will enter the league's concussion protocol.

Backup Tyrod Taylor was inserted into action late in the game, completing 7-of-11 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. The Jets didn't even surpass 100 total yards of offense until Taylor took the field in the fourth quarter. Now, the veteran QB may be in line to start.

Justin Fields injury update is worst-case scenario for the Jets

The NFL's concussion protocol is a five-step process that players must complete before returning to action, with no set timeline for clearance. Fields could very well miss multiple weeks.

Fields will need to be symptom-free and pass cognitive tests before progressing through light aerobic activity, supervised strength training, non-contact football activities, and finally full practice participation.

The process typically takes anywhere from several days to multiple weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms and individual recovery rates. Given that concussions are unpredictable and the protocol cannot be rushed, Jets fans should prepare for the possibility that Fields could miss next Sunday's game against Tampa Bay and potentially longer.

That means we should expect at least one — and possibly more — game of Taylor as the starting quarterback. The Jets also have undrafted rookie Brady Cook on their practice squad and would likely need to elevate him with Fields out.

Fields put together arguably the best performance of his NFL career in the Jets' Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing with a career-high 0.68 EPA per attempt. One week later, his dreadful -0.58 EPA per attempt in Week 2 is a new career-worst.

The Jets will need to see a dramatically improved version of Justin Fields whenever he returns to the field if this team has any hope of winning games this season. For now, it's looking like Tyrod Taylor time.

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