The goal of the preseason is to get some good work for your starters and young players and, most importantly, leave the game with no injuries.
Unfortunately, for the Jets in their preseason opener at Lincoln Financial Field against the Philadelphia Eagles, that did not happen.
First, the good news, the Jets defeated the Eagles 24-21. Not ultra important, but good news.
Now, the bad news. Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson left in the first quarter and did not return when he injured his right knee after scrambling from the pocket. Wilson tried to cut and his knee slightly buckled. He walked to the locker room on his own power, surrounded by team officials.
At this point, the Jets wait for the MRI on Saturday.
According to Jets coach Robert Saleh, Wilson’s ACL is intact, but he’ll wait until the testing is done.
“I’m always concerned until I get the final evaluation,” Saleh said after the game. “We walked off the field with great, positive thoughts, and it’s been opposite. We’ve walked off the field with bad initial readings, and it was opposite. I’m not going to put anything out there, just let it play out, and we’ll see tomorrow.”
Wilson’s injury seemingly could have been avoided if he had run out of bounds on his scramble instead of trying to cut back inside. When asked if Wilson should have gone out of bounds, Saleh said, “One hundred percent.”
Saleh did say Wilson was in good spirits.
“He’s in good spirits,” Saleh said. “He’s fine, a little frustrated obviously, but he’s as good as you can be in this situation.”
If Wilson is lost for the year, at this point, the 37-year-old Joe Flacco, who did not play Friday night, would be the guy. Recently, Saleh said Flacco is still a viable starter in the NFL.
“You guys know how I feel about Joe, everyone does, the whole world does,” he said. “Joe’s a phenomenal football player. He’s having a great camp, and he’s got a lot of juice left in the tank.”
It’s been a rough week for New York as they lost RT Mekhi Becton, probably for the year, with a leg injury, and now Wilson, who missed four games last season with a sprained PCL in his right knee.
Hopefully, good news is on the way for the Jets.
Back to the game, quarterback Chris Streveler would connect with WR Calvin Jackson on a five-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left to give the Jets the win. Streveler finished the game 6/9 for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
