In a word, Fitz was abysmal against the Redskins. He looked similarly uncomfortable and out of sync in the first drive against the Jaguars, but he was able to turn things around in that game — not this one. He failed to get any points up on the board in what was an all around ugly performance by the 1st team offense.
For as bad as Fitz was, Geno's ineptitude seemingly made fans on Twitter forget just how poorly Fitz played. Geno looked like the QB that go benched for Matt Simms two years ago, rather than the QB that had a perfect passer rating against the Dolphins in Week 17 of that same season. His interception came on a ball that was forced to Charone Peake in triple-coverage — it never had a chance. I still think Geno is going to be the backup, but his poor performance opened the door for Bryce Petty.
The only thing keeping me from giving Petty an "A+" is the fact that he looked like Fitz and Geno on his first two drives, but he bounced back in a big way. The TDs he threw to Zach Sudfeld and Robby Anderson were big-time throws that a starter in the NFL needs to be able to make. The 19-yard strike to Sudfeld up the seam was placed only where the receiver could catch it with a safety and a corner lurking. The 42-yard bomb to Anderson was again placed only where the WR could make a play on the ball, and the undrafted rookie out of Temple made it count. With this performance, Petty has crept into the discussion of being the backup QB. I still see Geno as the backup with Petty as the 3rd-string, while Christian Hackenberg mysteriously ends up on IR.
The Jets ran the ball eight times in this game, and only three carries belonged to a running back. Powell had three carries for 23 yards, while full backs Julian Howsare and Tommy Bohannon combined for 12 yards on five carries.
Only three WRs caught multiple passes in this game, and it was the backups who played the best. Marshall, Decker, and Thompkins were virtually invisible, targeted a total of five times for only two catches. Like last week, three WRs stuck out above the rest.
The lanky undrafted free agent seemed to have a tremendous connection with Bryce Petty, especially on the deep ball. The duo linked up for a 50-yard completion and an 42-yard TD. On both passes, Anderson did a nice job of tracking the ball and making the grab with a defender on his back. Anderson is still a long shot to make the team with the group of WRs ahead of him, but this stellar performance may have earned him a spot on the practice squad.
Peake had another solid night that should go a long way in locking up the 7th-round pick's spot on the roster. He hauled in four of the seven passes thrown his way, with only one bad drop. He has the size and speed to develop into a solid target for this team, and he may contribute early on this season.
Marshall had numbers similar to Peake's, but he simply did not look great getting there. He was targeted a total of 10 times, but failed to get the separation you look for on a couple of those targets. I think he is just about safe when it comes to the final roster. He has more upside as a WR than Jeremy Ross, and he is equally (if not more) effective in the return game.
Jace saw more looks with the ones and actually showed up on the stat sheet in this one, but I need to see more from him. He has the ability to take the offense to the next level as a target over the middle for Fitz.
The 6'7″ tight end caught every pass thrown his way Friday night. Sudfeld had a chance to play a role in the offense last season before suffering a season-ending injury, and he might just work his way into a role this season. If he can prove his worth as a blocker, he is much more valuable than Kellen Davis in the passing game, particularly in the red zone.
Like last week, they weren't good, but they weren't great. Not everyone on the 1st team played, which definitely factored into the lack of success the 1st team offense had as a whole. The younger guys stepped up later in the game to do a good job of protecting Petty. I am hoping all five starters are good to go against the Giants in Week 3, which will prove to be a good test against a strong defensive front.