The New York Jets have a starting quarterback for their Week 8 trip to Cincinnati. After all of the secrecy from head coach Aaron Glenn throughout the week, it will be the same one New York opened up the season with: Justin Fields.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been ruled out of the game due to a bone bruise on his knee, which opens the door for Fields to start.
New York had a decision to make after electing to bench Fields at halftime in a Week 7 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Taylor relieved Fields for the entire second half, but couldn’t spark the team, as he threw two interceptions and failed to lead the Jets to any touchdowns.
The Jets have gone two consecutive games without a touchdown, and they have not scored a first-half touchdown since Week 1. This led them to bench Fields for Taylor searching for a spark—a search that many figured would continue in Week 8.
However, with Taylor limited in practice throughout the week due to a bone bruise on his knee, the quarterback decision remained up in the air. Head coach Aaron Glenn stated that he had made up his mind on who would start in Cincinnati, but Glenn refused to disclose his choice to the public, citing the desire to maintain a competitive advantage.
Asked on Friday if he could reveal who would start, Glenn responded, “I cannot tell you that.” When pressed on whether it was because he didn’t want to tell the media, he confirmed, “That’s exactly it.” Glenn proceeded to repeatedly state that he did not want to give any details about the decision or whether Taylor’s injury factored into it.
As it turns out, Taylor’s injury did play a role. It seems the Jets knew that Taylor would miss the game and prepared accordingly. Looking to maximize the uncertainty about who would start, Glenn decided to keep the Bengals in the dark instead of revealing to them that Fields was playing.
We’ll find out if the gamesmanship can lead Glenn to his first win as a head coach.
