Jets' Zach Wilson has silenced his critics, at least for now
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson responds to a question during a news conference after a game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 8, 2023, in Denver. Credit: AP/David Zalubowski
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The best thing about Zach Wilson this week is that very few people are talking about Zach Wilson this week.
Hear the silence? No one is calling on the Jets to sign Matt Ryan or to start Tim Boyle.
The Jets know they have a big task in front of them with the defending NFC champion Eagles coming to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and for once, the focus isn’t on the Jets’ quarterback.
That’s because Wilson has played two good games in a row after the debacle against New England on Sept. 24. He was better-than-expected (105.2 quarterback rating) in a close loss to Kansas City and played just well enough (78.7 rating) in a victory at Denver last Sunday.
While naysayers will focus on Wilson’s mistakes — and he did make a few against the Broncos — coach Robert Saleh said Friday that mistakes are made by “the greatest of all time or whatever.”
At this moment, Wilson falls into the “whatever” column, given that the Jets’ “greatest of all time” candidate, Aaron Rodgers, is on the shelf. At 2-3, the Jets seem to have accepted their cruel fate of playing without Rodgers and are trying to find the positives in Wilson’s growth potential.
“Mistakes are always going to happen,” Saleh said. “It happens to the best of them. . . . It’s your ability to rebound and be resilient, to just have faith in yourself and faith in your teammates and continue to find ways to get better as the game goes on.
“I think last week was a great example of that. First half, it wasn’t as clean as anybody wanted. Go to the locker room, regroup, and we came out and we were much better.”
Saleh said Wilson is impressing him with “his ability to stay the course and not beat himself up for mistakes. [That], I think, is a pleasant, pleasant sight. Not letting things snowball into a negative gain, taking coaching points and finding ways to get better as the game progresses. I think that’s been really good.”
Wilson was such a punching bag earlier in the season that it will be interesting to see if the home crowd supports or boos him if the Jets get off to a slow start Sunday. Wilson’s confidence has to be high.
“It just all comes with the ball, with reps, with playing, getting out there and putting good film out there,” wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “We had a good game last week to take film from that. I feel like he’s doing everything he can to make sure he’s taking the right steps every week and we follow suit.”
The Eagles, like the Jets, have a formidable defensive line. How Zach Wilson handles the pass rush could be a big factor in the Jets’ chances of an upset.
“I think the main thing for me is just keeping my same process,” he said. “I can’t feel rushed out there. I have to trust the guys up front because I definitely have reason to. They have done a good job for me, and I rely on those guys. But I need to help them out as well the best I can. I think as the flow goes on in the game, we will know if I have to get it out quicker or whatever is going on, we will be able to adjust.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
