The New York Jets came into the 2023 NFL season with high hopes. They thought their biggest need, the quarterback position, was filled with the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. While their starting position was upgraded, they have learned the hard way that depth matters at the position.
When Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury on the fourth offensive snap of the season for the Jets, Zach Wilson was thrust back into the lineup. The results, as expected, were disastrous out of the gate.
After defeating the Buffalo Bills in overtime in Week 1, the Jets went on a three-game losing streak. Another embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots had people wondering just how long would Wilson keep the starting job.
In Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs, something seemed to click. He had the best game of his career on national television against the defending Super Bowl champions. After that, the Jets reeled off three straight wins, but for the most part, they were winning despite Wilson.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft wasn’t doing much to help the team win games; he was just not doing anything to lose the games for them. Alas, just like the 2022 season, his lack of winning plays is derailing the team.
Wilson essentially ended any realistic chance the Jets had at defeating the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 with a backbreaking interception with 1:14 remaining in the game. The offense was unable to take advantage of a Josh Jacobs fumble at the Jets’ 25-yard line.
That has been a troubling trend for Wilson, as he turns the ball over at the most inopportune times. According to NFL on CBS on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wilson leads the NFL with seven fourth-quarter turnovers this season.
That is two losses in two weeks in what were essentially must-win games for the Jets. Losing to the Los Angeles Chargers last week and Raiders this week drops their record to 4-5 on the season.
That places New York in 13th place in the AFC as things stand right now. It also means they do not have the tiebreaker over two teams also vying for Wild Card Spots, a major detriment to their quest for a playoff spot. As things currently stand, the Jets have a three percent chance of making the playoffs, per ESPN.
The Jets are wasting an excellent performance from the team’s defense, which is championship-caliber, again. They have no one to blame but themselves as Wilson has proven time and time again he isn’t a starting-caliber NFL player yet the team continues trotting him out there, facing zero competition.
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