I anticipated I would be roasting the New York Jets and begging them to save their season by finding an alternative to Zach Wilson. I was fully prepared to write this after seeing them get blown up by the Kansas City Chiefs due to an incompetent offense.
However, as I write this morning after a massively impressive performance, one fact is clear. Despite how they lost, the Jets need to stick with Zach Wilson.
Wilson, their first-round-pick who went second overall in the 2021 National Football League (NFL) draft with high aspirations to be their future franchise QB, had a rough season last year. The offense staggered after a 7-2 start, and then lost 8 straight, finishing 7-10. Wilson had failed to take much responsibility for it, and it seemed going into this year that he was not ready to be a starter in the NFL.
The Jets would be setting themselves backwards at this point if they replaced Wilson.
But alas, we are here again. After all the massive hype for Super Bowl winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming over from Green Bay to play for New York ended about 75 seconds into the first game of the season, the Jets turned to Zach Wilson once more.
The Jets won their first game, but fell to a 1-2 start, and questions once again began to surround Wilson’s ability to lead in the locker room. Signing quarterback Trevor Siemian to the practice squad last week was an indication that the Jets may have had a contingency plan in place.
There were even talks about going after Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is seemingly on his way out of Minnesota anyways. It all came down to how the Jets performed on Sunday night against the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
After a 17-0 start in favor of the Chiefs, it seemed like the Jets were going to get blown out, and Wilson was going to lose his job once again — but the Jets didn’t quit. They came roaring back to tie the game 20-20. The defense of course did an impressive job at keeping the Chiefs from scoring, but a large credit is also due to the guy under center. Zach Wilson undoubtedly played the best game of his career in a matchup that had the entire country watching.
Wilson went 28-39 with 245 yards and two touchdowns, and outside of a crucial fumble that may have lost them the game, played extremely well. Wilson was lighting it up, making huge play after huge play, running out of the pocket to avoid sacks and even making smart decisions — something that he was often criticized for not doing.
Wilson looked like a beast last night, and despite the fact the Jets lost 23-20, the question surrounding the quarterback is pretty simple – It’s Zach’s world. It’s Zach’s team. If he can play like how he played last night for the rest of the season, this team might just be good enough to make the playoffs.
The Jets would be setting themselves backwards at this point if they replaced Wilson. How on earth could you bench him after a performance like that? Not to mention, any quarterback that comes in has to learn an entire new offense with brand new players quickly.
Wilson has already been there. He knows these players and the coaches. It seems that Wilson and his new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett are finding a rhythm for what works. This is a totally different offense than one that would be run by Rodgers, and it seems that the past few weeks have been all about cracking it in a way that Wilson can succeed in. Why would the Jets change course now?
There is no doubt now. The Jets have a guy they can rally behind. He’s maturing, he’s growing up and he’s starting to play well. The season is far from over, and despite the 1-3 start, we might just see them in the playoffs come January if they can keep this up.
pkeastea@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @nyjets, X
