All Aboard the Geno-Coaster

It goes up. It comes down. It thrills Jets fans and sometimes makes them incredibly nauseous. But despite the inconsistency, rookie QB Geno Smith has the New York Jets currently occupying the final wild-card spot in the AFC.

Geno Smith accidentally runs out of bounds in the endzone (Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

On second thought,
he did it to himself (AP)

The New York Jets were universally abandoned to start the season. ESPN had them ranked 32 out of 32 to start the year, and expectations could not get any lower. After the train-wreck that was last season (6-10 and marred by QB controversy that forced Tebow from the league and decimated that last remaining shred of Mark Sanchez's dignity) the Jets were expected to flounder in a pool of their own undoings, much like Rex Ryan's team has had a habit of doing ever since they lost the AFC Championship in 2010.

But for the most part, the Jets have defied expectation all season long. Just when you think you know them, they surprise you, either by upsetting the Falcons in the Georgia Dome or falling flat-out on their face against the Titans. The only decipherable pattern is the alternating of wins and losses that the Jets have stuck to from the start.

They beat the Bucs Week 1, then lost to the Pats Week 2, only to bounce back against the Bills Week 3 before getting smacked in Week 4. The trend has stayed consistent, so after 9 weeks of football, the New York Jets find themselves at 5-4.

Up and down the "Geno-coaster" goes. And boy have their been some steep drops.

After upsetting the Patriots in Week 7, the Jets were dismantled by the Cincinnati Bengals the following week by a score of 49-9. QB Andy Dalton threw for a career-high of 5 TDs (4 to the same WR) while the only Geno Smith passes to reach the zone were those returned by the defense. There were two of those. The Jets managed only three field goals.

Bad Geno (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

And yet, the following week they took down the 6-1 Saints to move into playoff contention.

The outcome of their games seems to be tied to the performance of their bipolar first-round pick. In their five wins, Geno "Jekyll" Smith has thrown 7 TDs and run for 2 more. But their losses have featured his malevolent twin, Geno Hyde, and in four defeats he has thrown 9 pics to just 1 TD and amassed a quarterback rating (QBR) of 8.35.

That number is out of 100.

Good Geno (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Which Geno Smith will you get on any given Sunday? That answer eludes you like Rex Ryan's answer about whether or not he tattled on Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

The only indication seems to come from the number of the week. The Jets have won each of their games in odd-numbered weeks, and lost each of the even-numbered ones. Week 10 had the Jets on the bye, and was the first even-numbered week in which they did not lose a game. This week they are in Buffalo with a chance to keep the trend, and their playoff hopes, intact.




As for the rest of the season, their even-week foes include Baltimore, Oakland, and Cleveland. In the odd weeks they will face Miami twice and Carolina. Only one of the seven remaining games pits them against an opponent with a winning record, and logic would indicate that they have a great chance of winning most, if not all, of those games. However, as the Geno-coaster rolls on, the only thing I feel safe expecting is the unexpected.

Buckle up, Jets fans. It's going to be a wild finish.

Where is the Geno-coaster headed next? (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

This week the Jets travel to face Buffalo. Which Geno will make an appearance? Comment below!