After being benched during the game on Sunday, there was some question whether Geno Smith would remain the starter in New York. That speculation was put to bed -- at least for now -- on Monday with the news Smith would remain New York's starting quarterback.
NFL news roundup: Geno Smith still the starter, NFL admits officiating mistake
Between quarterback news and the NFL admitting an officiating mistake, it was a busy day around the NFL on Monday.
Jeff Zelevansky
The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down rookie season, but has struggled recently. He completed 9-of-18 attempts for 79 yards with one interception on Sunday before being benched in favor of Matt Simms. Smith has now thrown 19 interceptions this season, the most in the NFL. New York, however, is still in playoff contention and will apparently give him at least another chance to get back on track. In addition to Simms, veteran David Garrard is also on the roster.
There was some controversy on Sunday night when at the end of the game an official mistakenly signaled for a first down and moved the chains. The chains were moved back the following play and it converted to fourth down. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said the crew made a mistake and should have stopped play to correct the issue.
“In this situation where there is obvious confusion as to the status of the down, play should have been stopped prior to third down and the correct down communicated to both clubs. This should have occurred regardless of the fact that Washington had no timeouts and it was inside two minutes.”
Jay Cutler is reportedly targeting a Week 14 return from his ankle injury, but his status for the game next Monday won't be determined until later this week. Bears head coach Marc Trestman said Cutler remains "week-to-week."
The Bears will return to practice on Thursday and Cutler's participation level could go a long way to determining his status against Dallas. If he's able to practice, even in limited fashion, he could be on track to return on Monday. If not, it may be Josh McCown getting another start for the Bears.
McCown has played well for Chicago, but Cutler’s absence has been felt on the scoreboard. The Bears average 29 points per game in games Cutler starts and 22.8 PPG in those started by McCown.
Mike Tomlin has been the center of controversy after allegedly interfering with a Baltimore kick return last week. Tomlin said he was watching the play on the jumbotron and didn’t realize where he was on the field. New video, however, appears to show Tomlin taking a step towards the field, causing Jones to change direction.
The NFL is reviewing the incident. Steelers safety Ryan Clark said there was no intent by Tomlin, while John Harbaugh and the Ravens are moving on from the situation.
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