The veteran quarterback needed only one drive to provide the New York Jets with plenty of encouragement heading into the regular season, completing all seven of his passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in a 17-0 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night.
Smith, who sat out the Jets’ preseason opener to give his aching ankle additional rest, looked comfortable in his return to action. The quarterback, who was originally drafted by New York in 2013 and has reunited with the franchise, showed some mobility when pressured and efficiently guided the Jets down the field.
Smith needed just 10 plays to lead New York 69 yards on its opening possession. His final completion was a 13-yard flip to tight end Jelani Woods for a touchdown, giving the Jets an early lead.
The performance could be enough for Smith, a veteran who doesn’t necessarily need extensive preseason work, to be ready for the regular season after his brief cameo.
New York coach Aaron Glenn, however, saw areas where the Jets still have work to do, particularly in the running game. New York managed just 62 rushing yards, although rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik accounted for 16 yards on a scramble.
Klubnik, who is competing to become Smith’s backup, completed 10 of 15 passes for 75 yards. Bailey Zappe added 68 passing yards, while Brady Cook completed one pass — a 31-yard touchdown lob to Quincy Skinner late in the game.
While Smith’s return was the headline, New York’s defense may have provided the most encouraging development. The Jets’ defense was a major weakness during last season’s 3-14 campaign, but the unit consistently pressured Pittsburgh’s young quarterbacks and created turnovers.
Rookie edge rusher David Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, recorded an 11-yard sack of Steelers quarterback Will Howard in the first quarter. Even more significantly, the Jets intercepted Howard twice in the first half while Pittsburgh was driving into New York territory.
Andre Cisco stepped in front of a pass intended for Roman Wilson and returned the interception 23 yards. Samuel Womack later made an impressive interception on another pass intended for Wilson.
The takeaways were particularly notable considering the Jets made NFL history last season by becoming the first team since interceptions began being tracked in 1933 to finish an entire season without recording one.
Glenn wasn’t ready to celebrate too much afterward, but the turnovers represented a significant change from what New York experienced a year ago.
Pittsburgh’s young quarterbacks weren’t able to duplicate the impressive performances they produced in the preseason opener.
Will Howard and Drew Allar received the entire workload with veteran starter Aaron Rodgers and longtime backup Mason Rudolph sitting out. The pair had combined to lead four touchdown drives against the Green Bay Packers a week earlier.
Against New York, however, neither quarterback found the end zone. Howard started and finished 10 of 15 for 75 yards. His best play came on a 15-yard third-down completion to Ben Skowronek. Howard stepped up in the pocket to escape pressure before finding Skowronek over the middle.
But the Jets’ pressure and coverage made it difficult for Pittsburgh to sustain drives, and the Steelers ultimately finished the night scoreless. The result dropped Pittsburgh to 1-1 in the preseason, while New York improved to 1-1.
For the Jets, the biggest takeaway was simple: Smith’s ankle held up, the offense produced a touchdown on his only drive, and a defense that struggled mightily a year ago showed flashes of being a much more disruptive unit.
With the regular season approaching, New York has plenty of questions left to answer, but Smith’s brief appearance provided an encouraging sign that its veteran quarterback is on track to be ready when the games begin to count.
