Zach Wilson's lack of accountability is reportedly a problem for the defense that keeps bailing him out
The New York Jets’ defense held the New England Patriots’ offense without a touchdown in Week 11. But they still left Foxborough with a loss because their offense could only muster three points on the road against an AFC East rival.
At the center of that storm was second-year quarterback Zach Wilson, a player whose inability to develop into a franchise cornerstone threatens to derail a promising roster. Wilson, for the second time in two games against the Patriots, completed fewer than half his passes. He threw for 77 yards and led an offense that gained a total of -5 yards in the second half. It was all very embarrassing, but Wilson doesn’t feel like he let a stellar defense down.
.@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
That’s a terrible answer from a player who is supposed to be leading his team and who was, without a doubt, the source of the bulk of its offensive struggles. Here he is, opting not to throw to Denzel Mims on a windy day.
I'm out on Zach Wilson after seeing this one.
Wide. Open. Denzel. Mims. Touchdown. Missed. pic.twitter.com/wd2lxee73G
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 21, 2022
And here he is again, throwing one of many interceptable passes while simultaneously badly missing a wide open tight end.
Not only did Wilson throw an easy INT here but Conklin was WIDE open. This has to be at least 5 yards of separation. And Wilson airmails the hell out of it.
Wasted opportunity + gift-wrapped turnover all in one
Guys were open in this game. A lot. pic.twitter.com/cHUwkPbVaN
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) November 21, 2022
These were bad throws. Anyone who watched an extended stretch of Sunday’s game — and if this was you, CBS owes you an apology — could see that Wilson was the problem.
Instead, Wilson deflected blame. It’s become, per reports, a source of contention for the defense that gave him multiple opportunities to slay New England. Yes, Wilson should feel like he let his defense down. He was a sub-XFL quarterback for the majority of Week 11.
Hearing this morning there’s a lot of raw feelings among #Jets defensive players. Clearly, Zach Wilson’s post-game accountability (or lack thereof) didn’t sit well.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 21, 2022
Jets defensive players should feel slighted by this. They’ve been the backdrop of a team that’s 5-2 with Wilson as the starter despite his -17 expected points added (EPA) over that stretch. The second-year quarterback ranks outside the top 33 in multiple stats this season, including completion rate (55.6), touchdown rate (2.1), and passer rating (72.1). This is notable because only 35 quarterbacks have thrown enough passes to qualify for the official leaderboard.
That frustration may have leaked its way onto Twitter in the aftermath of Sunday’s game and Wilson’s comments. Cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, a frontrunner for 2022’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, liked a tweet questioning Wilson’s response Sunday night — though he later explained this was an accident and not a statement about his feelings toward the quarterback who is currently unraveling all the progress New York’s roster has made.
I swear I didn’t mean to like this tweet. I only found out because yall started tagging me. We gon’ be straight https://t.co/zQJhVRSM7V
— SAUCE (@iamSauceGardner) November 21, 2022
Rookie wideout Garrett Wilson, who had two catches on a day where his offense gained 103 net yards, didn’t name names in his postgame remarks but made it clear that, yeah, this is untenable.
“This (expletive) is not ok. Straight up, it is not ok. How many total yards did we have? That (expletive) is not going to fly,” Wilson said, per NFL reporter Mike Giardi. “We got the dudes. It’s time to be consistent. It’s time to win the games we should win. It is unacceptable. … I feel this is a wake up for some of the people in the facility. For us in the facility to get on our details. All of us.”
Officially, all is well for the Jets. They’re 6-4 and have a top-five defense. They’ve beaten the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills and remain in the thick of the playoff hunt in a deep AFC. Wilson is chugging along, independent of his defense, trying to put things together.
But behind the scenes, reports suggest dissent is brewing. If that’s the case, it’s easy to understand why. The 2022 New York Jets have been let down by the player they drafted to lead them into a new era.
Instead, Wilson has been unable to reclaim the greatness that made him must-watch television at BYU. That has to be immensely frustrating for him as a player, for sure. If he can’t own that, however, and understand his role in losses like Sunday’s disappointing defeat then he’s got no future in New York.