Ryan Fitzpatrick to Start vs. Patriots in Week 12 Over Bryce Petty

New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles announced Monday that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will start Sunday against the New England Patriots, according to Newsday's Bob Glauber. 

"He's healthy. He's been our starter," Bowles said of his decision to insert Fitzpatrick back into the first team over Bryce Petty, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "We can do more things with him. I don't give away jobs."

"I am excited to get out there and rally our guys," Fitzpatrick said, according to the team's Twitter account. "It's something I really enjoy doing."

A knee injury kept Fitzpatrick out for New York's Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Petty got the start in his place and threw for 163 yards, one touchdown and an interception on 19-of-32 passing.

While the numbers aren't impressive, the Rams are allowing the sixth-fewest passing yards in the NFL (215.7) and rank 12th in opponent passer rating (87.8).

Newsday's Kimberley A. Martin didn't think Jets fans would react positively to Monday's news:

Bowles' preference for Fitzpatrick is somewhat surprising given how poorly the veteran has performed, as well as the fact the Jets are all but out of the playoff race at 3-7.

Fitzpatrick has thrown a league-leading 13 interceptions, and Football Outsiders ranks him 30th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement).

Since New York has little left to play for in the short term, Bowles would seemingly be better off getting more looks at Petty in meaningful game action.

The former Baylor star could perform well and prove himself a viable starting option for 2017 and beyond. Like Petty, Kirk Cousins was a fourth-round pick, and his breakout didn't come until his fourth year in the league.

If Petty struggles, then Bowles and Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan will know beyond a shadow of a doubt the team will need to select a quarterback early in the 2017 draft.

The Jets still have Christian Hackenberg. Maccagnan remains optimistic about the 21-year-old's potential. However, the second-rounder wasn't even active in Week 10, with an injured Fitzpatrick backing Petty up.

While it's too early to write off Hackenberg as a possible starter down the line, his lack of progress in his rookie year is concerning.

Instead of taking a long-term approach and inserting Petty or even Hackenberg as the starter, Bowles is attempting to salvage what he can from the 2016 season.