On paper, with talents like Quinnen Williams and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, the New York Jets have one of the NFL’s best defenses. When it comes to actual results, they have those too. Entering Sunday’s game with the New England Patriots, the Jets were No. 6 overall in Football Outsiders’ DVOA. They were also in the top 10 in yardage allowed and scoring.
That’s why, after a 10-3 rock fight loss to the Patriots, much of the focus in New York is on Zach Wilson’s disappointing play. The second-year quarterback recorded just 77 yards passing against New England with only nine completions, continuing an alarming sophomore campaign for the former top-two pick. (Note: The Jets also punted 10 times, the last of which led to a shocking game-winner in the final seconds.)
Anyone who’s watched the otherwise talented Jets lately seems to understand Wilson is, on some level, holding them back. Everyone except for Wilson, as he noted in a post-game interview on Sunday:
.@Connor_J_Hughes: "Do you feel like you let the defense down at all?"
Zach Wilson: "No." pic.twitter.com/tiJiTSrFPE
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Zach Wilson was asked if he feels like he let the defense down?
“No.”
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) November 20, 2022
Oof, what a brutal answer. Even if Wilson doesn’t like the way the question is framed — if he’s the leader of the Jets, he should be taking more responsibility regardless of his play. A terse “no” after your offense scores three points in an important divisional game is never the correct path.
There’s a long way to go in this Jets’ season, with plenty of time for Wilson to see a course correction. It’s starting to seem like that might not happen.