New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has come under fire in recent weeks, and rightfully so, because of his performance. He has been tasked with replacing Aaron Rodgers as the team’s starting quarterback after Rodgers tore his left Achilles on the team’s fourth offensive play of the season.
Zach Wilson had been lauded by head coach Robert Saleh for the improvements that he made this offseason working alongside Rodgers. That certainly sounded like a lot of coach speak as he looked as abysmal as ever under center.
The No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft wasn’t giving the Jets any chance to win with his level of performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 or New England Patriots in Week 3. Heading into a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, the fans had their pitchforks ready for him.
But, to the surprise of many, Zach Wilson looked competent under center. After another very slow start, as the Jets dug themselves into a 17-0 hole not even 12 minutes into the game, something clicked.
After the defense forced a safety courtesy of a holding call on Chiefs’ offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, New York got rolling. Zach Wilson had the game of his career, completing 29-of-39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
A late-game fumble by the BYU product ultimately cost them the game, which he could be seen saying on the sideline. That is a vastly different level of maturity being shown than last season when he took zero responsibility for the Jets losing a game to the Patriots in which the offense didn’t gain a first down in the second half.
Could this have been a corner-turning performance for Zach Wilson and New York’s offense? It was certainly a historic one, as he accomplished something no other quarterback has ever done against a Mahomes-led team.
He became the first opposing quarterback to have more completions, passing yards, touchdowns and fewer interceptions than Mahomes in a game in which he started, ever. He has started 127 games between college and the NFL and Zach Wilson is the first person to best him in all four stats in a single game.
That is quite an impressive feat for Zach Wilson, as he is the last person anyone would have picked to have such a performance against Mahomes. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the team get a win, as they fell short on Sunday Night Football, losing 23-20.
