Todd Bowles Comments on Jets' QB Situation After Loss vs. Rams

As the New York Jets play out the string while trying to find players who can help them win next year after falling to 3-7 with a 9-6 loss against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, head coach Todd Bowles is noncommittal about his starting quarterback moving forward.

Speaking to reporters after the Jets' loss, Bowles discussed how the team will look at its quarterbacks during its upcoming bye week before facing the New England Patriots in Week 12, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

"We’ll evaluate that next week as we go forward," he said. "We have a bye week to evaluate it, and I’ll see how [Ryan Fitzpatrick] feels. We’ll watch the film on Bryce [Petty] and make a determination middle of next week. … I’m trying to play the best player right now and win ballgames. It it’s Bryce, it’s Bryce. If it’s Fitz, it’s Fitz."

The Jets opted to go with Petty, who was a fourth-round pick in 2015, for his first career start Sunday. Fitzpatrick suffered a sprained knee against the Miami Dolphins last week, though he was active for Sunday's game and served as Petty's backup.

Petty finished 19-of-32 for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Rams. The final score wasn't what he wanted, but the 25-year-old said he's looking forward to his next opportunity.  

"I really can't wait to go back, watch film, learn from this and get better from it," Petty said after the game, per the Jets' official Twitter account. 

The Jets are in full evaluation mode, especially at quarterback. Fitzpatrick has been awful, completing 56.4 percent of his passes for 1,983 yards with eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions in eight starts.

Geno Smith, who replaced Fitzpatrick under center in Week 7, suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first start. The Jets also have rookie Christian Hackenberg on the roster. Hackenberg may not be in the mix for a start before the team's next game, but Petty and Fitzpatrick have to show more if they want to remain in the lineup.