In Sunday’s 23-20 loss against the Chiefs, Zach Wilson had his best performance since entering the NFL.
However, it was a dark moment that displayed how much Wilson has grown as a player and as a man.
Down 23-20 with 7:30 remaining in regulation, Wilson fumbled the snap from center Connor McGovern in a shotgun formation, allowing the Chiefs’ Tershawn Wharton to recover the ball at the Jets’ 47. Kansas City then ran out the clock after a Sauce Gardner holding call negated a Michael Carter II interception on the Jets’ 32 late in the game.
“It’s on me,” Wilson said about the fumble. “Critical situation, I can’t have a play like that, I cannot drop the ball.
“This team is sacrificing a lot. Guys are making plays. Defense was making plays. O-line was protecting. Receivers were making plays. To be driving right there, to drop a snap, I cannot do that.
“I lost us that game and I cannot do that. I was making it clear to those guys that I need to be better. I need to be better on the little things, the details. It can’t happen.”
After the play was over, the NBC cameras showed Wilson being consoled by wide receiver Allen Lazard and punter Thomas Morstead as the 24-year-old said, “I lost the game, it’s my fault, bro.”
Less than a year ago, Wilson had a completely different outlook following a brutal loss against the Patriots. Last November at Gillette Stadium, Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with five seconds remaining to give them a 10-3 victory over the Jets. During the press conference following the game, Wilson failed to accept any accountability for the loss against New England after completing 9 of 22 passes for 77 yards.
“No,” Wilson said to reporters when asked if he felt like he let the team down. “No.”
Those two words eventually led to Wilson’s benching the following week. Although he would start two more games against Detroit and Jacksonville, he was inactive for the Jets final two games of the 2022 season.
Jets coaches and players throughout the offseason, into training camp, and the regular season have marveled at Wilson’s maturity on and off the field. When the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers and he became the backup quarterback, he didn’t ask to be released or go to another team. Wilson handled his demotion as well as he could have.
Following Rodgers’ Achilles injury, Wilson is once again the starting quarterback for the Jets, showing a level of maturity that wasn’t exhibited during his first two seasons in the NFL.
Following Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, Lazard told reporters that Wilson stood up in front of his teammates and took the blame for the loss after his fumble.
“That’s just the competitor in him and the leader that he is,” Lazard said about Wilson. “I was just consoling him just to say, ‘Hey, we all make mistakes today. You weren’t the only one.’
“Obviously, that one, it’s highlighted more because it was later in the game and it was at a critical time and everything. But he played amazing today and he did a great job. He led us down the field multiple times, made big-time throws and put us in position to be successful and he made some plays with his feet as well.
“Very proud of Zach.”
On the field, Wilson had the finest performance of his career as he outdueled the reigning NFL MVP in Patrick Mahomes on ‘Sunday Night Football’ with Rodgers in attendance at MetLife Stadium. Wilson completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished with a quarterback rating of 105.2, which was a career-high for Wilson as he helped the Jets get back into the game after following behind 17-0.
Mahomes struggled as the Jets defense pressured him a big part of the night as he ended the night 18 of 30 for 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. But the Chiefs were still able to find a way to win the game despite the atypical from Mahomes.
Wilson was heavily criticized the last two weeks following abysmal performance against the Cowboys and Patriots. In two games, he threw for 327 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions while completing 47.6% of his passes. Wilson also had a quarterback rating of 48.8 during that span.
Jets coach Robert Saleh and his teammates continued to show confidence in Wilson despite the calls from fans and the media to make a change at quarterback. If Wilson plays like he did against the Chiefs, the Jets will be in every game during the remaining 13 games of the season, especially with how good their defense is.
“He’s locked in with what we got going on here,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said. “Y’all, anyone on the outside can say whatever and everyone has the right to do that and make an opinion, but Zach is locked in what we got going on in here and that’s why he was able to go out there and play like that.
“You got your blinders on and focus on what really matters and the guys that you’re going to be with.”
Antwan Staley
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