New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, who started for the injured Mike White for the second week in a row, had another opportunity to show that he could save the season as the Jets hosted the Jaguars(7-8) on Thursday night, but again, he was not very good; Wilson was eventually pulled in the third quarter and replaced by Chris Streveler.
Wilson finished the night 9/18 for 92 yards and an interception, and the Jets(7-8) would fall to the Jaguars 19-3 at MetLife Stadium.
After the loss, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he made a move to get the running game going.
“We were just trying to get the run game going,” Saleh said after the loss. “Strev (Chris Streveler) had a couple of explosive plays, and one thing led to another. He gave us a spark, and we just wanted to keep it going. Initially, it was meant to be a change-up.”
According to Saleh, the change had nothing to do with Wilson’s performance.
“I know Zach was struggling Streveler came in and ran a couple of plays and sparked the offense,” Saleh said. “He got the explosive play, and it just snowballed in a good way for Strev (Streveler). We wanted to give him an opportunity to try to finish that drive. By the time we got it back again, same thing, we’re already here, let’s keep going with Strev (Streveler).”
Wilson, who was booed by the home crowd, said he was out of rhythm.
“I just felt like I didn’t have any rhythm out there,” he said. “Just trying to find some confidence out there on the field and just find something to get us going, a little spark, and I couldn’t get anything there, and I had opportunities, and I’ve got to be able to connect on those. We’re going to go back and watch it, and I’m sure the coaches will detail it up for us, but right now, the feeling is I’ve just got to put my head down and just try to get better for these guys. That was kind of my message to them out there is, ‘I’m trying to give them everything I’ve got, I’m trying to lay it out there for you guys, and it’s not good enough, and I’ve got to put them in a better position.”
When asked if it was tough hearing the boos, Wilson said the following:
“Yeah, it is, but you don’t blame them. We have a very passionate fanbase, and they’re here to watch us score touchdowns, and we’re not scoring touchdowns, we’re not getting first downs, we’re not moving the ball, we obviously can’t throw the ball. So, of course, they’re going to be frustrated.”
Wilson is still learning right now, and he’s going through some growing pains. Plus, he could have had better protection against Jacksonville. However, at this point, he doesn’t look like a franchise quarterback, but it’s still early in his career, so things could get better. Not sure they can get worse.
With two games left, the Jets are 1.5 games behind the seventh-seeded Dolphins(8-6), so they probably won’t make the playoffs. Therefore, it might be in their best interest to let Wilson play and see if he can improve.
