Geno Smith’s second stint with the Jets is off to a sharp start, and NFL.com has taken notice.
Smith climbed 11 spots in the site’s quarterback rankings, moving from No. 22 to No. 11 after three games. Through that stretch, he has completed 75.5% of his passes, piled up 783 passing yards and thrown four touchdowns without an interception. He has also added 36 rushing yards and has fumbled three times.
The biggest boost came in Week 3, even though the Jets came up short against the Detroit Lions. Smith was efficient and aggressive, going 31-for-37 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Bleacher Report gave him an A- for the performance, and the numbers backed up the grade.
“He's a warrior, man,” tight end Jeremy Ruckert said, via ESPN. “He's a field general. We have the utmost confidence in him.”
That confidence looks justified right now. Smith has been exactly what the Jets needed, especially after last season’s rough stretch with the Las Vegas Raiders, when he was arguably the worst starter in the league.
This year, the ball security has flipped completely. After leading the NFL in interceptions last season, he hasn’t thrown one yet.
The accuracy has been there too. Against Detroit, Smith showed touch and precision on multiple throws, the kind of play that has made him look far more like the quarterback who peaked with the Seattle Seahawks. Smith’s best NFL seasons came in 2022 and 2023, when he made the Pro Bowl both years and won the 2022 AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
Before this season, Smith had 22,168 passing yards, 124 passing touchdowns and 89 career interceptions. He now heads into the Jets’ Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears with a 43-58-0 record as a starter.
There is still some buzz around rookie Cade Klubnik, with some Jets fans wanting head coach Aaron Glenn to give him a shot this season. That possibility could open up once New York is officially out of playoff contention, but Smith has not given the team any reason to make a change.
Klubnik went 21-for-34 for 190 yards in the preseason, with no touchdowns and one interception. The Jets took him with the 110th overall pick in the 2026 draft after his stock slipped following a tough 2025 season at Clemson.
He finished that year with 2,943 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, and his Clemson career ended with 10,123 passing yards and 73 touchdown passes.
The Bears, meanwhile, enter Week 4 at 2-1 after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Chicago may be without Caleb Williams because of a Grade 2 hamstring strain, but Case Keenum stepped in and played well against Philadelphia, throwing for 247 yards, two touchdowns and a rushing score.
One more thing hanging over Sunday: the Jets still haven’t recorded an interception in the Glenn era. That’s a streak they’ll be hoping to change in Chicago.
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Hall and Parham were already expected to miss after the previous game, but Mitchell and Taylor had been in limbo for much of the week, leaving Glenn to sort through a lineup that keeps shifting late in the process. Edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare is also dealing with a knee injury and remains limited in practice, adding another question mark to a defense that can least afford to be thin going into a matchup with the Bears. [Read more 🡒]
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Jets Defense Gets A Needed Boost At The Perfect Time
Minkah Fitzpatrick is set to rejoin the Jets for their Week 4 matchup with the Bears after missing time with a groin injury, giving New York a defensive presence it has been missing. He was a full participant in practice and said he is ready to go, a welcome development for a unit that has been looking for more takeaways lately.
Fitzpatricks return comes at a timely moment for a Jets defense that has had trouble creating interceptions, and his ability to track the ball could help change that. Against Chicago, the Jets will be counting on him not just to fill a spot, but to lift a secondary that needs a jolt. [Read more 🡒]