Jets vs. Cardinals: Score and Twitter Reaction for Monday Night Football

The New York Jets (1-5) suffered their fourth straight defeat Monday night, losing 28-3 to the Arizona Cardinals (3-3) at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Entering Week 6, Ryan Fitzpatrick had been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. He ranked 30th out of 31 qualified signal-callers in defense-adjusted yards above replacement, per Football Outsiders, and Pro Football Focus graded him 34th among its 35 qualifiers.

Fitzpatrick's struggles continued Monday night, as he finished 16-of-31 for 174 yards with an interception.

The Washington Post's Master Tesfatsion wasn't complimentary of the veteran:

Football writer Cian Fahey thought Fitzpatrick's poor performance was in part an indictment of Jets head coach Todd Bowles:

"

Bowles also proving this season with his stubbornness at QB that he had no idea *how* they won games last year.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) October 18, 2016"

Geno Smith replaced Fitzpatrick with 8:20 left in the game. In limited action, Smith finished 4-of-6 for 31 yards with an interception.

As a team, the Jets gained 230 yards.

On the other side of the field, Carson Palmer wasn't great in his first game back from a concussion, throwing for 213 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-34 passing. Running back David Johnson picked up the slack, rushing for 111 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.

Johnson provided the first score of the game with a 58-yard jaunt to help put Arizona up 7-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter. The second-year back got outside and used his speed to beat the Jets defense down the sideline.

The NFL provided a replay of the run:

The Jets hadn't allowed a longer run since Week 17 of the 2014 season, per ESPN.com's Mike Sando.

NFL.com's Chris Trapasso wasn't surprised to see Johnson elude tacklers and find the end zone:

After a 39-yard Nick Folk field goal trimmed the Jets' deficit to four points in the second quarter, Johnson responded with his second touchdown, punching the ball in from two yards out with 6:43 to go until halftime.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Johnson has five multi-rushing touchdown games, which is tied for the most since the start of last season.

The MMQB's Albert Breer believes the Cardinals should make Johnson the focal point of their offense:

While the Jets had trouble corralling Johnson, their biggest problem came on the offensive side of the ball. They didn't convert any of their seven third-down opportunities in the first half, which made for a dreadful drive chart.

CBSSports.com's Will Brinson provided the gruesome reading:

Johnson collected his third touchdown at the 5:24 mark of the third quarter to help put the Cardinals ahead 21-3.

On their next drive, the Jets appeared poised to make it a two-score game after moving inside the red zone. But a holding penalty on guard Brian Winters backed them up 10 yards and set up 1st-and-20 at the 27.

Three plays later, Fitzpatrick threw an interception in the end zone to Cardinals safety D.J. Swearinger. The NFL shared a second look at the turnover:

Arizona added another touchdown with 8:20 remaining in the fourth quarter when Palmer connected with Michael Floyd on a nine-yard pass.

The Jets play host to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and they may have a new starting quarterback by then. There's little reason for Bowles not to make a switch at this point since the team is all but out of the playoff hunt.

Smith could revive his NFL career, and even Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg might be worth a look in the hope one could be the Jets' long-term answer at the position.

It's far too early to put Bowles on the hot seat, but this year is undoubtedly a major disappointment after the Jets finished 10-6 and nearly made the playoffs in his first season in 2015.

Monday night's win was another step in the right direction for the Cardinals, who started 1-3 and will get a visit from the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.

That game will be a big test for Palmer, who has taken a step backward after a career year in 2015. As good as Johnson is, a strong running game alone won't get Arizona in the playoffs. The team needs to be able to rely on Palmer.

If the 36-year-old can lead the Cardinals to a win over the Seahawks—and post strong numbers while doing so—he will help fans forget about his sluggish start to the season.

Postgame Reaction

Bowles said Fitzpatrick will start in Week 7, calling Smith a "relief pitcher" who came in to finish Monday's game, according to the Jets' Twitter account.

Bowles also defend his quarterback, deflecting some of the blame for his rough night, per the Jets: "It definitely wasn't Fitz's fault. He barely had any time to throw."

Palmer didn't finish the game for Arizona, as Drew Stanton entered in the fourth quarter. The veteran quarterback said his exit wasn't because of any larger problem, according to NFL.com's Max Meyer: "Nah. Nah. Just cramping. A number of long, long-play drives, just a little dehydration, a little cramp."

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians made sure not to put too much stock in Monday's win.

"We're still just a .500 ballclub," he said, per Kent Somers of AZCentral.com, "but I like the way we are playing right now."