Jets' Bryce Petty says injured knee 'not stable'; MRI set for Sunday

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets' three-man quarterback competition could be down to two, as Bryce Petty suffered a potentially serious knee injury Saturday night against the New York Giants.

Petty, who came off the bench and played his best game as a pro, will have an MRI exam on Sunday to determine the extent of the damage.

Petty was injured when offensive lineman Ben Braden rolled onto his left leg with two minutes left in the Jets' 32-32 loss.

Once he got to the sideline, Petty tried to jog, but he couldn't put any weight on the injured leg.

"It kind of felt weird, it felt loose, which is not something you want to feel as an athlete," Petty said, adding that the knee "is not stable."

Petty declined to speculate on the severity. It would be the third major injury of his short career. He suffered two shoulder injuries last season, the second of which occurred in December and required surgery.

Defensive end Leonard Williams left the game with an injury to his left wrist. X-rays were negative, according to the Jets, who called it a sprain.

This was a cruel break for Petty, who replaced Christian Hackenberg to start the second half and threw three touchdown passes against the Giants' backups. Petty compiled a perfect passer rating -- 158.3, as he completed 15 of 18 passes for 250 yards.

Ostensibly, Petty is competing with Hackenberg and Josh McCown for the starting job. Coach Todd Bowles, who is expected to announce his decision Monday or Tuesday, refused to tip his hand.

Bowles opened himself up for criticism for resting McCown, his 38-year-old presumptive starter. He defended the strategy, noting McCown's age and that he has "played in a lot of preseason games."

"I wanted to see Hackenberg and Petty play against a good defense," Bowles said.

Hackenberg (12-for-21, 126 yards) threw two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns, and generated only a field goal in his first eight possessions. He returned after Petty's injury and threw a late scoring pass. The Jets went for the win, but the two-point run failed.

Bowles wasn't ready to count out Petty.

"I'll wait until [Sunday] and hear the test results," he said. "Bryce is a tough guy. We'll see how it goes."