Geno Smith didn’t light up the box score against Cleveland, but he also didn’t give the Jets a reason to panic.
Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brent Sobleski handed Smith a C+ for Week 5 after New York’s rain-soaked matchup with the Browns, and the veteran quarterback’s afternoon looked pretty ordinary on paper: 17 completions on 30 attempts, 182 passing yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and four sacks.
There was at least one blemish, though. Smith put the ball on the ground once against Cleveland, while Deshaun Watson had three fumbles of his own. In messy conditions, Smith did enough to keep the Jets moving without turning the game into a turnover disaster.
That matters for a quarterback who led the NFL in interceptions last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Smith threw 17 picks a year ago, so the early returns in New York have been encouraging from a ball-security standpoint. Through five games, he has 1,084 passing yards and six touchdown passes in his second stint with the Jets, while completing 69.4% of his throws.
The season has also given New York a clearer picture of what Smith can still be. The two-time Pro Bowler’s best NFL work came with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and 2023, when he made the Pro Bowl both times and won the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Smith entered the year with 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions. Heading into the Jets’ Week 6 game against the New England Patriots, he owns a 44-59-0 record as a starter.
For now, his grip on the starting job appears intact, even with some Jets fans pushing for head coach Aaron Glenn to turn to rookie Cade Klubnik. That move could become a conversation if New York is officially knocked out of playoff contention, but Smith hasn’t done anything yet to force the issue.
Klubnik’s own sample remains small. He went 21-of-34 for 190 passing yards in the preseason, with no touchdown passes and one interception. His stock also took a hit after entering the 2025 college football season projected as a top pick in the 2026 draft, only to see that momentum cool after he and Clemson struggled.
The Jets still selected Klubnik with the 110th overall pick in the 2026 draft, and he has not lost confidence in his game. His final college line included 2,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025, along with 10,123 passing yards and 73 touchdowns during his Clemson career.
New York’s next test comes against a Patriots team that beat the Jets twice last season. Drake Maye has found a groove lately, throwing seven touchdown passes over his last two games after managing just one in the first three.
The Jets, meanwhile, have only one interception in the Glenn era, while Maye has thrown seven interceptions this season. Next Sunday will tell a lot about whether Glenn’s defense can finally get one.
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Garrett Wilsons Message Said A Lot About These Jets
After the Jets win over the Browns, Garrett Wilson made a point of using social media to stand up for a teammate whose impact had already been felt on the field. The moment fit the mood around a locker room that has been trying to turn a good performance into something a little more meaningful, and Wilsons post said plenty about how players inside the building view one another when the spotlight is on.
Wilson had every reason to feel good about the day himself after catching 7 of 11 targets for 104 yards and a touchdown, but he still took the time to back David Bailey in the aftermath. Baileys work against Cleveland was impossible to miss, and Wilsons response added another layer to a win that felt bigger than a single box score, even if the outside recognition still hasnt caught up. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Kept Their Season Alive But Aaron Glenn Questions Remain
The Jets needed a response in Week 5, and they got one with a win over the Browns that nudged them to 2-3 and kept their season from drifting any further. It was their first victory in a true must-win spot this year, and the defense did plenty of the heavy lifting with a disruptive day that kept Cleveland from comfortably settling in.
Aaron Glenn still comes out of it with more questions than answers, though. The rookie head coachs overall mark is now 5-17, and even with the season hanging around for another week, the bigger conversation in Florham Park is whether this kind of win changes anything about the long view on his future. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Snapped Their Skid Behind A Finish Fans Will Be Talking About
Braelon Allen gave the Jets exactly the kind of running-game spark they had been searching for, piling up 116 yards while helping New York grind out a 17-12 win over the Browns. The offense did enough to stay in front when it mattered, with Geno Smith throwing for 182 yards and a touchdown as the Jets finally found a way to turn a close game into a needed victory.
New York still had to survive a tense finish, and the defense made sure the skid ended there. After a late fumble recovery put the Jets in position to close it out, the pass rush came through again in the final minute, leaving Cleveland to sort through another frustrating afternoon after dropped passes and its first loss since Week 1. [Read more 🡒]