Bowles: McCown Will Remains Jets' Starter Rest Of Season
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The Jets have been surprising this season, and so has quarterback Josh McCown.
On Wednesday, coach Todd Bowles rewarded the 38-year-old quarterback with a vote on confidence, confirming he will be the team's starter for the rest of the season.
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"I've been saying that," Bowles told reporters.
Bowles' latest endorsement came on the same day McCown was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his monster game in Sunday's 38-31 win over the Chiefs. McCown was 26-of-36 passing for 331 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the game. He also scored on a pair of 1-yard runs, including the game-winning TD with 2:15 left to play.
McCown is enjoying a career season and has the Jets (5-7) still alive for a playoff spot. He has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 2,880 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also has five rushing TDs.
"The dude's 38, but it looks like he's 26 out there," wide receiver Jermaine Kearse said of McCown after Sunday's win. "He's been huge for us. His leadership throughout the week, throughout the whole season has just allowed us to continue to get better and better."
With McCown entrenched in the starting lineup, younger quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty might not see the field at all this season.
Now in his third season, Petty played in six games in 2016, starting four. But Hackenberg, a second-round draft pick last year, has yet to take a snap in a regular-season game. Many observers predicted the Jets would want to at least see Hackenberg in game action this season, especially if they're mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture, so they can make a more informed decision about their quarterback situation heading into 2018.
The Jets' next game is Sunday at the Denver Broncos (3-9).
