Can Ryan Fitzpatrick Lead the New York Jets to the Playoffs?

The New York Jets have built their roster in such a way that the quarterback position is peripheral.

That's quite the feat, considering the quarterback position handles the ball on every offensive snap. 

Run the ball. Play good defense. That's been the Jets' recipe for success in the first four games of the season, and it's the reason that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been able to take a backseat. As long as the Jets can continue to follow that recipe on their way to wins, the playoffs should be within reach. 

Normally, a quarterback with seven touchdowns, six interceptions and a 78.1 passer rating in four games would be deemed unacceptable. In fact, Fitzpatrick's passer rating is currently the ninth-lowest of qualifying quarterbacks, and he's currently one of only two quarterbacks out of 15 with a winning record and a passer rating lower than 88.

Why, then, is there complacency with Fitzpatrick at quarterback?

For starters, they're starting off with incredible field position. According to Football Outsiders, the Jets drives have an average starting field position of 33.9, which is the best in the NFL. Give that credit to the Jets defense for stopping its opponents quickly and setting up the offense with easy chances to score.

They haven't always moved the ball efficiently down the field; they currently average 28.04 yards per drive (28th in the NFL). When they've moved the ball into the red zone, they've capitalized with 5.73 points per red-zone appearance (sixth in the NFL) and .733 touchdowns per red-zone appearance (fifth in the NFL).

The biggest knock on Fitzpatrick is his lack of arm strength. The Jets have asked Fitzpatrick to attempt 25 passes that traveled 20 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus, which is tied for second-most in the NFL. Only four of those 25 passes have been completed, and his accuracy percentage of 16 is the second-lowest of any qualifying quarterback. 

But what about everything else?

Fitzpatrick has completed 84 of his 113 other aimed passes (74.3 percent), which lends a little more context to his numbers. His accuracy and ball placement in short and intermediate windows has been superb, and has helped keep the Jets offense on schedule.

Fitzpatrick has shown a much better ability to read defenses than Smith; where Fitzpatrick's interceptions are mechanical (bad throws), Smith's were often mental (bad reads). The Jets also believe in Fitzpatrick more than they believed in Smith. Fitzpatrick may not have Smith's cannon arm, but according to Kristian Dyer of Metro New York, Fitzpatrick has earned praise from his teammates for his command of the offense and his leadership qualities.

Of course, his job has been much easier thanks to the presence of the Jets' dominant and effective rush attack. 

Running back Chris Ivory has tacked on an extra 3.27 yards per carry after contact, the third-highest average in the NFL among qualifying running backs through Week 5. Ivory's tough-nosed style of running is the biggest reason that the Jets currently rank seventh in the league in rushing. And the Jets' seventh-ranked rush attack is the biggest reason Fitzpatrick has been able to play the role of game manager rather than being asked to carry the offense. 

Yes, the Jets have wide receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall at their disposal, and they might like to get those two more involved in big plays (as evidenced by Fitzpatrick's gaudy number of vertical pass attempts), but with a defense that's holding opponents to 13.8 points per game, who needs big plays? The Jets can rely on field goals to win games because, on average, they only need five of them to win.

That being said, there will be times when the Jets have to do better than field goals. They have yet to face any elite offenses so far this season, but those games will come eventually. They won't face very many top-notch defenses, though.

Opponent	Points/game	Pass yards/game	Def. passer rating
Washington Redskins	20.8	216.4	90.4
New England Patriots	19	229.8	83.7
Oakland Raiders	24.8	299.2	90.7
Jacksonville Jaguars	29	260	100.5

Aside from their two meetings with the New England Patriots, the Jets do not have many hurdles left to clear this season. The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants could pose some problems, but those are all winnable games. The degree of difficulty in the rest of the schedule is not too high. 

And as long as the Jets stick to their winning formula, the playoffs should be within reach, even with Fitzpatrick at quarterback.

With Geno Smith nursing his jaw injury, this was supposed to be the week when the questions would begin to rise about whether Fitzpatrick should remain the starting quarterback. At this point, there should be no doubt that this job is Fitzpatrick's for the foreseeable future.