Confessions Of A Long Suffering Jets Fan: Will The Real Zach Wilson Please Stand Up
Is the former No. 2 overall pick finally starting to figure it out?
Two things can be right at the same time.
I want you all to keep that expression at the forefront of your mind throughout this article.
It is also going to be important to remember that opinions aren’t set in heavy stone - they are designed to evolve over time and twist and bend with the changing times.
All of that is to say that I was very excited about Zach Wilson’s breakout performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Who wouldn’t be? But, on the flip side, I need to see a lot more.
Look, I’ve been very vocal that I don’t think Wilson is it. I just don’t. I don’t believe he has the makeup or the intangibles needed to be an average, long-term starter in the NFL, let alone anything else. But, as I said above, I’m happy to alter my opinion if I see evidence that Wilson is trending upwards. But one game is nowhere near enough to wipe away everything I’ve seen that helped me get to this conclusion in the first place.
And this is where the two things can be right at the same time part comes into play. There’s no doubt that Wilson had the best game of his entire career on Sunday Night Football, although it isn’t like there was a whole lot of competition in that department. BUT, in saying that, you can’t escape the fact that Wilson still committed the fatal error that cost the Jets the game.
That has always been the biggest black mark against Wilson since he was drafted. He won’t put you in a position to win games, but he will find stupid, mind-boggling, throw the remote at the TV fury-inducing ways to lose a game. That’s always been his M.O.
Now, the biggest difference on Sunday was that, for the first time ever in his career, it did look as though the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft had the confidence, the poise and the execution to go pull what would have been a huge statement win out of the bag against the best QB in football.
Wilson posted the highest passer rating of his career (105.2), completed the most passes of his young career (28), threw two touchdowns and, for the second consecutive game, he didn’t throw an interception. That’s sizable process.
And, while the stats certainly weave a compelling story, the eye test tells an even better one. Wilson just looked like a totally different quarterback from the one who crapped the bed against the New England Patriots the week before. Almost as if the spirit of Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady had been injected into Wilson’s body overnight. He oozed confidence, he looked in command of his offense at all times, he got the ball out quickly, and when the pocket broke down he wasn’t afraid to use his legs to extend the play and try and make things happen. He was playing free and easy.
And it made a gargantuan difference.
Maybe Wilson felt pressure to really elevate his game with Aaron Rodgers back in the building watching for the first time since going down hurt for the year. Or maybe it was the Taylor Swift effect. The global pop star has seemingly bewitched every other person associated with the NFL, so maybe Wilson wanted to prove that he was “the 1” with Swift and her merry band of A-list Superstar buddies watching on.
See what I did there? Okay, I’ll stop.
Anyway, it was refreshing to watch a Jets game and not have to worry about your quarterback committing an almighty brain fart or making the kind of basic mistakes that are stamped out in Pee Wee football.
For the first time since the first couple of minutes of the Bills game, I was actually fully engaged and enjoying watching my Jets play.
Then the fourth quarter happened. Wilson fumbled a snap near midfield, the Chiefs recovered and Pat Mahomes made sure the Jets never got the ball back. Game over.
Now, listen, Wilson had a great game - the best outing of his entire career so far - and his newfound maturity after the game in terms of holding himself accountable for the loss was certainly refreshing and offered up a lot of hope for the future. Especially after the Patriots debacle of last year in which Wilson refused to take any accountability for his struggles whatsoever. So that was another major positive. And you could make a compelling argument that how Wilson handled himself in the wake of defeat, how he owned his mistake and how he took full responsibility with his teammates was the biggest positive and the most notable sign of growth to emerge from the game. I give full credit to the third-year QB for how he put that loss on his shoulders. He showed a lot of cubes and guts in that moment.
However, Wilson is in Year Three and he needs to be cutting out those basic mistakes. If Daniel Jones of the Giants made that same error - and he has on many occasions - the media would be killing him for days.
And this is where two things can be right at the same time. Yes, Wilson showed a hell of a lot both on the field with the ball in his hand and off the field with the level of maturity we haven’t seen from him before. But, on the other side of that, he still committed a fatal error in crunch time and that was the deciding factor. Those kinds of mistakes can’t happen in Year Three. Those kind of mistakes can’t happen if you want to become a very good QB in the NFL. Look at Mahomes, he had a horrific game by his lofty standards, including throwing a couple of picks, but he was able to play clean football when it really mattered to ensure the Chiefs escaped New York - and more unbearable Taylor Swift - Travis Kelce mania - with a win.
The next step for Wilson will be eradicating those costly mistakes in big moments. If he can do that, then maybe the Jets really do have something this year. Although, with Rodgers all but likely coming back next year and wanting to play a couple of years, I don’t see a long-term future for Wilson in New York. But who knows.
Anyway, I’m just happy he finally ripped that stupid bandana off his head.
Overall, I came out of Sunday feeling a lot more encouraged about things, but I’m also not willing to be tricked by a small sample size. In 26 career NFL games, Wilson has had one true outstanding one. So, logic tells me he’s still the quarterback we thought he was because that’s what the sample size tell us. Again, I’m willing to be proved wrong and I would happily eat crow if Wilson all of a sudden morphed into a top flight NFL QB who can consistently produce at the highest level. But I need to see a hell of a lot more than one game before I start even allowing myself to go down that path. Because, let’s be honest, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if Wilson went into Denver, got the crap beat out of him and threw three picks. I certainly wouldn’t be. If he can go and produce a second consecutive really good game, this time in altitude, and get the Jets to 2-3, then I’m happy to have a conversation about it next week.
Allow me to be crystal clear on something, though. This isn’t me hating on Zach Wilson, far from it. I really do hope Sunday was the start of something and I loved everything about his game, except for that fourth quarter fumble. He seems to have grown up a hell of a lot too and there is obviously talent there, so I hope he can build on Sunday and string together a bunch of really good games where he shows tangible signs of improvement week in and week out. And it has to start in Denver on Sunday. If the Jets drop to 1-4, then I think this season really is all but lost. However, improve to 2-3 with Wilson showing something again, then I think it is game on again.
But we’ll see…
Third & Long
Let’s break into some quick bites from Sunday…
Give That Man His Damn Flowers
Has to be Zach Wilson this week. Taking everything else away, he was damn impressive in pretty much every single facet of the game. He finished Sunday 28-of-39 for 245 yards with two touchdowns, no picks and a quarterback rating of 105.2. His second touchdown was an absolute, inch-perfect laser of a throw to Allen Lazard. I mean, it was just a beautiful, beautiful throw. I also really, really liked the two-point conversion. It showed both a ton of athletic ability and a lot of cubes to get out of trouble and execute the play. Wilson made a bunch of really nice throws, he showed a lot of maturity after the game and I hope this is the start of great things for him. I really do.
Dumpster Fire Moment Of The Week
The mighty Kansas City Chiefs were right there for the taking. We were so damn close to causing an upset and forcing Mahomes, Kelce and Taylor Swift to Shake It Off. Okay, I’ll stop now, I promise. But maybe the officials were caught up by Swift Mania too given what transpired late in the game. Sauce Gardner - who is enduring somewhat of a sophomore slump so far this year - was called for a questionable holding call. It cancelled out an interception by Michael Carter II. It was an absolute bogus call, and there were others that followed. I mean, on God’s Green Earth how was that a hold?! I fully understood why Head Coach Robert Saleh was so pissed in the moment - I was too.
You know how we all kinda felt Tom Brady got the benefit of the doubt and a lot of help from officials? Well, I think that magical power has been transferred over to Mahomes now. It was just a garbage call and it was a black mark on the game. Given how electric Wilson was, I would have liked to have seen him get the ball back one more time. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be and the officials got away with a lot. There also appeared to be a hold on Jermaine Johnson late that allowed Mahomes to run out the clock, and the officials were just handing out flags in favor of the Chiefs like Halloween candy. It was a sucky ending to what was a really entertaining, close game.
Honey, Get Me The Hell Out Of Here Moment Of The Week
Oh man I’ve had it with Taylor Swift mania. I just have. I kinda understood all the hype and all the attention when she appeared at Arrowhead for the first time, but there was no need to keep cutting to her at MetLife on Sunday night. Even Travis Kelce himself has admitted it has all got a bit too much, so I think that should tell you all you need to know. I’ve got nothing against Swift - I’m a big fan of her music - and I’ve got nothing against a potential Kelce - Swift romance. But I’ve just had enough of it taking over every aspect of the NFL two weeks in a row now. There’s just no escaping from it. Everywhere you look, Swift is there. It is literally never-ending.
And I felt sorry for poor Brittany Mahomes, who gets enough unwarranted hatred as it is, because she was caught in the crossfires of this whole thing on Sunday after being snapped in a picture next to Swift, stuffing a chicken finger in her mouth. It wasn’t the kind of picture you would want out there but, then again, show me a person on planet earth who looks good eating a chicken finger and I’ll show you Photoshop. Chicken fingers aren’t meant to be sexy, they are meant to be messy and unflattering because it isn’t about the look, it is all about that god damn beautiful taste. Anyway, back to Taylor Swift. I just think it has gotten too much and I thought I was watching TMZ on Sunday rather than a football game. I love the NFL because I love football and I just want to watch the games. And, when my team is on, I want to be fully locked in with no distractions. I don’t need any added thrill or a global pop star thrown in to sex things up. The product is great as it is. And I think I speak for most football fans on that.
Fourth & Inches
Doozy Of The Week
The NFL - Despite everything I said above, I will give the NFL their dues. They were an absolute behemoth before Taylor Swift came along, but they now seem to have unlocked another level of exposure and popularity, if that was even possible. They are now appealing to a brand new audience of young women who are showing a real interest in the sport, and that’s fantastic for everyone and exactly what we want. These last two weeks has highlighted the fact that the NFL is simply unstoppable, and their stock is now sky high. Plus, they got the added bonus of the Jets making the game on Sunday a lot more competitive than we all predicted, and it was one that went right down to the wire. That would have helped TV ratings too.
Dud Of The Week
The Jets’ Run Game - New York ran just 16 run plays on Sunday, compared to 41 passing plays. That isn’t conducive to long-term success in the NFL. This run game has really disappointed so far, so I’m pumped that Breece Hall is going to have the training wheels taken off him on Sunday. He’s due a big game. I am really concerned about Dalvin Cook, however. He is showing every sign of being an all-time bust. He just looks slow and uninterested and he kills any sign of momentum any time he gets the ball put in his hands. He doesn’t go anywhere. If I were the coaching staff, I’d figure out ways to get Michael Carter and the rookie Xavier Gipson involved more. They need to get creative with this run game in order to spark it into life.
Jetting Off
Some final thoughts from me.
I don’t think the importance of this Sunday’s game in Denver can be overstated. Two 1-3 teams who both entered the year with sizable expectations, and one of those teams will be cooked with a loss. Once you fall to 1-4, I think that’s pretty much it. And, for the Jets, with the Eagles next, a drop to 1-5 would be very likely and, given that only three teams in NFL history have recovered to make the Playoffs after such a start, I would say that this team would be looking at a 13th consecutive year without a trip to the postseason. And that would be a massive, massive kick in the balls for the entire organization and us fans.
So, with that being said, this weekend represents a gargantuan litmus test for this Jets team. They need consistent play from Zach Wilson, and if he can put together a second consecutive game like the one he produced against the Chiefs, then we could be in business. Improve to 2-3 and I think everything is in play once again.
However, it all hinges on Wilson. It really does. If he balls out again, throws for 300+ yards and a couple of touchdowns and doesn’t throw a pick, then I think the Jets will come out of Denver with a huge win and the overall picture will look a lot brighter. But, given the large sample size of evidence we already have, it is just as likely Wilson goes into Denver, struggles with the altitude, gets beaten up, doesn’t throw a touchdown and makes a mistake that loses the game. That could happen. It just could.
Plus, I can’t believe there are people out there downplaying Russell Wilson’s start to the 2023 season. He’s fifth in the NFL in passing touchdowns (nine), he’s fourth in passer rating (106.7), and he ranks high in a number of other offensive categories. So I don’t think it is wise to write Denver off. They can be dangerous. Plus, I’m sure Head Coach Sean Payton will be extra motivated to get a win so he doesn’t have his comments about Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett from back in the offseason thrown back in his face again.
I’m actually really nervous about this game because the stakes are just so damn high. It really does feel like win-or-bust at this point for the Jets, which sounds silly because we’re only Week 5, but this is the NFL and not MLB. There isn’t the luxury of having an endless amount of games in which to try and dig yourself out of an early hole. As the great Yogi Berra once said, it is getting late early and a loss on Sunday wouldn’t only all but end any dreams of making the Playoffs, but it would probably mean Zach Wilson reverted back to type. And that would really make for a long, depressing remainder of the season.
I’ll see you all next week with hopefully our postseason hopes and dreams still intact.
Enjoy the game.
