The Jets sat quarterback Josh McCown for the second straight game on Saturday night as they took extended looks at Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty that likely settled the team’s quarterback competition if it wasn’t settled before facing the Giants.
Hackenberg was 8-of-15 for 60 yards and two interceptions in the first half and led his first touchdown drive of the preseason after replacing Bryce Petty for a two-minute drill in the fourth quarter against Giants backups. Petty threw a pair of touchdowns, but got lifted because of a knee injury and said after the game the knee was “just not stable.”
That suggests he’ll be out of the mix for a while and poor play around him doesn’t change that Hackenberg hasn’t done anything to suggest he’s ready to start in Week One. That leaves McCown and coach Todd Bowles said Saturday that he’s not sweating McCown starting with one drive of preseason work with his teammates.
“If he’s the Week One starter, I’m not concerned at all,” Bowles said in comments distributed by the team. “I wanted to get them [Hackenberg and Petty] some reps. Josh is 37, he’s played in a lot of preseason games. I wanted to see Hack and Petty play against a good defense, and they played tonight.”
Bowles didn’t offer a hint about his plan at quarterback, but is expected to make a call in the next couple of days about who will face the Bills in Week One.
