NFL

Geno ‘pleased’ with turnover-free day vs. Browns

Jets quarterback Geno Smith opened some eyes Sunday with his best performance in months.

Smith led the Jets to a 24-13 win over the Browns with his arm (20-of-36, 214 yards, two touchdowns) and his legs (10 rushes, 48 yards, one touchdown) and played a turnover-free game.

“I loved the way he managed the game,” wide receiver David Nelson said Monday on a conference call with reporters. “I loved the way he took what the defense gave him. I think a lot of times yesterday, specifically on third downs, when it was third-and-8 and third-and-9, he wasn’t making 10-yard throws. He was making 4-yard throws and allowing the players to get extra yards and get the first down for him. I just loved the way even though we were down 10, he didn’t force things. He let the game come to him and just managed the game. I think we had drives of 80, 79 and 81 yards. That’s how you win football games, is by taking care of the football, putting quality drives together and managing the game. I thought he did a great job of that. He just took what the defense gave him and managed the game really well.”

Smith said he was pleased with how the offense operated as a whole.

“I think I’m more pleased with the fact that we had some really good, long drives,” Smith said. “We had 13, 14-play drives and it just means that we were executing the game plan, just staying on target and in that zone and staying with our reads. Obviously, we converted those third downs that were crucial in the game. It allowed our defense to rest up after playing pretty much the entire first quarter and then also got us into a rhythm and led to [scoring] some points.”


The Jets could keep the rival Dolphins out of the playoffs with a win Sunday, something the Jets are already talking about.

“It would be great,” linebacker Quinton Coples said. “They’re a divisional opponent. That would be a great opportunity for us to go down there and win. That would knock them out of the playoffs. But our main priority is just to go down and win. It’s not so much to focus on knocking them out, but it definitely would be a little pleasing for us.”


The Jets altered their practice schedule this week because of Christmas. They will practice Tuesday, normally the players’ day off, and be off Wednesday.