Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio on New York Jets QB Zach Wilson: "When you are that flat - throw the analytics out the window - and your team has no spark, no juice because of the guy you have at quarterback, you're done. And I think [the Jets] they're at that point"
Friday 23 December 2022 16:02, UK
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has said he doesn't blame the fans for booing after the team's playoff hopes were severely dented with a 19-3 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
It was the Jets' fourth-straight loss, dropping them back to 7-8 on the year and behind the Jags, as well as the New England Patriots (7-7), on the outside of the AFC playoff picture. They go on the road to the Seattle Seahawks (7-7) and Miami Dolphins (8-6) for their final two games of the regular season.
Wilson was booed frequently by the home crowd at MetLife Stadium as he completed 9 of 18 passes attempted for only 82 yards, plus an interception. The Jets managed just 66 yards of total offense in the first half and had only three first downs, with Wilson ultimately benched for journeyman backup Chris Streveler in the third quarter.
"I don't blame them [for booing]," Wilson told reporters after the game. "We have a passionate fanbase, and they're here to watch us score touchdowns.
"We're not getting first downs, we're not moving the ball, and we obviously can't throw the ball, so of course they're going to be frustrated.
"I just felt like I didn't have any rhythm out there. [I was] just trying to find some confidence out there on the field, something to get us going - a little spark. I couldn't get anything there."
Reacting to Wilson's poor play on Thursday night, consistent with the second-year QB's struggles throughout his sophomore campaign, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio called on the Jets to move on from the signal-caller.
"After last night, I don't think you worry about who your next quarterback is going to be, it's just not Zach Wilson," Florio said. "That team is so flat and lifeless when Wilson is out there.
"When you are that flat - throw the analytics out the window - and your team has no spark, no juice because of the guy you have at quarterback, you're done. And I think they're at that point.
"I think today this isn't about who is our quarterback going to be? This is about finding the most effective and efficient exit ramp for Wilson - for our [the Jets'] good, for his good and for our long-term interests. That's how a functional football operation should operate.
"I don't know how and I don't know why it has happened - there must be a hell of a story to be told behind the scenes - but it just has.
"The why doesn't matter when it's staring you in the face. It's just a mess at the quarterback position when Wilson is on the field."
Wilson, the second overall pick out of the 2021 NFL Draft, was benched for backup Mike White after a Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots in which he had his worst performance of the season, completing 9 of 22 passes for just 77 yards.
He also came in for criticism for his one-word answer of "no" to reporters when asked after the game if he thought he had let the Jets' defense down, though he has since apologised to his team-mates for his actions.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh said at the time of Wilson's benching that it "is not a nail in the coffin" with regards to his future with the team and that "Zach's career here is not over."
He doubled down on that this week, blaming the "instant-coffee world" for the demands being placed on Wilson so early into his NFL career, and he once again spoke out in support of his QB after the Jaguars loss - albeit acknowledging that Wilson and the team as a whole need to improve.
"We haven't seen the last of him [Wilson]," Saleh said. "But right now he's just got to focus on finding ways to get better, and we've got to find ways to help him.
"You'd be remiss if you didn't try to acknowledge the fact that there's a confidence thing there because when people are confident, they can conquer the world. We have to help him and it starts with coaching."
It is unclear which direction the Jets will go in at quarterback for the remainder of this season, with White ruled out these past two weeks with a rib injury - hastening Wilson's return to the lineup - or even looking ahead to the 2023 campaign, given now that a postseason spot is unlikely.
Wilson, though, continues to believe he can turn things around in New York, adding: "Right now the feeling is I just have to put my head down and try and get better for these guys.
"That was kind of my message to them out there, was that I'm trying to give them everything I've got, and it's not good enough. I've got to put them in a better position.
"It's tough and I'm working my way through it. But I have to be optimistic... I believe in myself, regardless if anyone else does."
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