Sure, the packets of stats compiled during the preseason won't be saved or remembered. But it's never too early to make a strong first impression, as Jets quarterback Justin Fields effectively demonstrated.
The former first-round pick looked sharp as leader of the Jets' new-look offense on Saturday night, completing three of four passes for 42 yards with an opening-drive rushing touchdown in the team's convincing 30-10 road win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Fields didn't see much action — he was shrewdly limited to just 10 snaps across a five-minute span in the first quarter. But the 79-yard scoring drive evoked feelings of optimism to a fanbase that hopes to see the NFL's longest active playoff drought mercifully snapped this season.
"By biggest thing was just taking what the defense gave me," Fields said after the win. "Everything went smoothly. We were emphasizing a smooth operation, getting in and out of the huddle fast… We just wanted to show who we are as a team, show our identity, our physicality… Our goal was to go down and score seven, and we did just that."
Fields' first pass attempt was a third-down completion to Tyler Johnson for six yards that moved the chains. After a failed pass intended for Garrett Wilson on the ensuing play, Fields connected with Andrew Beck twice on solid 12-yard and 24-yard gains.
The final two plays of the possession were assigned to Fields' legs. While he mustered just one yard on a second-down scramble inside the red zone, he escaped shotgun pressure in the pocket on third down and evaded defenders for a 13-yard score near the front-right pylon.
A mightly small sample size of highlights from Fields — his passer rating was 108.3 — but the strong dual-threat performance pleased new head coach Aaron Glenn.
"I thought Justin got the guys in and out of the huddle," Glenn said. "It was good to see Justin use his legs also. We know he has that in his bag… He was patient. He did everything that we needed to get this win and for him to be the quarterback we need him to be."
Fields' backups weren't too shabby against the Packers either. Adrian Martinez received the bulk of the work behind center, completing 11 of 16 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown, while Brady Cook racked up 62 yards of his own on six completed passes.
