Zach Wilson might be out only two to four weeks

Zach Wilson’s season is not over. There’s even hope that the Jets quarterback could be back on the field for the regular-season opener in four weeks.

The Jets received some good news about Wilson’s right knee injury on Saturday. According to a league source, MRI results revealed that he suffered a bone bruise and a tear in his meniscus in Friday’s preseason game in Philadelphia. The initial prognosis is that Wilson will be sidelined for only two to four weeks.

Wilson will get a second opinion before having arthroscopic surgery to address the meniscus. It’s not expected that he will need a full meniscus repair.

More will be known about the extent of the injury when the doctors scope the knee. They will be able to see if the meniscus needs to be trimmed or repaired, and that will determine whether Wilson will miss two weeks, be closer to the four-week range or be sidelined longer.

At this point, the Jets are encouraged by the initial news and feel fortunate that Wilson didn’t suffer any ligament damage.

The Jets believe it’s possible that he will be able to play in the regular-season opener Sept. 11 against Baltimore. It will depend on what’s found during the scope, which likely will take place in the coming days.

If Wilson isn’t ready, 14-year veteran Joe Flacco would get the start against his former team.

When Wilson first injured his knee Friday night, there was fear that it was serious and could be season-ending. Speculation was that the second-year quarterback had torn his ACL after suffering a non-contact injury while scrambling.

Wilson was trying to gain some extra yards on his ninth snap of the game. He got to the outside and chose not to run out of bounds. Instead, he cut back to juke linebacker Nakobe Dean. His leg buckled and he dived to the ground, likely to avoid contact.

Moments later, Wilson was helped to his feet, but he was limping badly and fell. Team trainers came out and tended to him while the other offensive starters took a knee around him. He left the field on his own and went to the locker room.

Coach Robert Saleh said afterward that based on the initial tests, the ACL “is supposed to be intact.” He was being cautiously optimistic, but Saturday’s MRI proved that Wilson hadn’t done any damage to his ligaments.

Last season, Wilson suffered a PCL sprain in the back of the same knee that kept him out of four games.

“I’m 0-for with trying to decipher doctor language,” Saleh said, “so I’m just going to let the MRI play out.”

You can’t blame Saleh for not wanting to give false hope about Wilson and opting to wait until more was known. Earlier in the week, he sounded positive about Mekhi Becton’s status after he left practice with a knee injury. Further tests showed that Becton had a fracture in his kneecap and likely will miss the season.

The Jets didn’t practice Saturday. When they return to work on Sunday, Saleh will address Wilson’s health.

After the game, Saleh said Wilson “100%” made a mistake by not running out of bounds. Wilson showed his inexperience on that play, trying to make something happen in a meaningless preseason game. His competitive juices and instincts took over, but the more seasoned quarterback knows to get out of bounds, slide or throw the ball away.

In Wilson’s absence, Flacco will run the first team and Mike White the second team. Saleh has the utmost faith in Flacco leading the offense, and he made headlines during this camp when he said he believes Flacco still is a starting quarterback in the NFL. He may get the chance to prove it.

“You guys know how I feel about Joe,” Saleh said. “Everyone does. The whole world does. Joe’s a phenomenal football player. He’s having a great camp, and he’s got a lot of juice left in the tank.”

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.