Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer September 17, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET
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- Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and NFL for ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years and joined ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He was previously a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him on Twitter @RichCimini.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The New York Jets’ first game without Aaron Rodgers was a disaster as quarterback Zach Wilson threw three interceptions in a 30-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Afterward, the Jets rallied around Rodgers’ replacement with confidence-building words and gestures.
In the locker room, wide receiver Garrett Wilson put his arm around the QB and gave him encouraging words. The three tight ends were also there and showed support. It was a telling scene, as the Jets (1-1) made a point of not placing blame on their former starter-turned-replacement.
“From the outside looking in, it’s easy to blame the quarterback,” Garrett Wilson said. “Honestly, that’s the world we live in, where you look at the top guy – the boss, the quarterback, the one who makes the money – and then point the finger. But we all know internally that we have all taken the right steps and become better.
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The Jets endured a grueling six days, losing Rodgers to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury and having to switch to Zach Wilson, who was demoted twice last season due to serious issues, on a short week. Aside from one shining moment — a 68-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson, who gained 55 yards after the catch — it was a dismal day for the quarterback and the offense.
The game ended with four turnovers on New York’s final five series, including interceptions on its final three possessions. An 18-10 halftime deficit led to a fourth-quarter blowout, which will undoubtedly add to the outside noise among those who want the front office to get another quarterback.
Zach Wilson completed 12 of 27 passes for 170 yards and threw for just 76 yards in the second half. Coach Robert Saleh defended the performance and absolved Wilson of blame for the second and third interceptions.
“I thought he did a good job,” Saleh said. “Obviously he had to force the ball late in the game for something to happen and obviously it didn’t go our way. One of his interceptions resulted in a miscommunication between him and the defense. They have a hell of a lot.” a front.
“He did a really good job in the pocket of extending plays and getting his way. He had some nice off-schedule plays. It just wasn’t good enough.”
The Jets are exploring the possibility of adding a third quarterback, perhaps as early as this week, but have strongly stated that Wilson will be the QB1. It was supposed to be a learning year for the No. 2 draft pick in 2021, but everything changed on the fourth play of the first game when Rodgers exited.
Wilson’s performance on Sunday was, at least statistically speaking, strikingly similar to many past games. (He entered the day with 16 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions for his career.) He’s no stranger to adversity, but he insisted he’s better equipped to handle it this time.
“Absolutely, man,” he said. “I feel like I see [the field] Well, I really do. It’s really unfortunate to portray this as an insult. We have to get better, I have to get better, but we are on the right track.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Wilson was under a lot of pressure as he was pressured on 16 of 30 dropbacks. (That doesn’t include his five scrambles for a team-high 36 rushing yards.) Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was a force, recording two sacks and nine pressures. Wilson completed just 2 of 13 passes under pressure, continuing a trend: Since entering the league in 2021, he has statistically been the worst quarterback in the NFL when pressured.
However, some of the pressure could be attributed to Wilson holding the ball too long at times. He had no support from the running game, as Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook combined for just 16 yards on eight carries. Cook also lost a fumble. They encountered many eight-man fronts. A quarterback with Rodgers’ experience could have changed the game at the line of scrimmage.
Hall seemed unhappy with his workload.
“I mean, I only had four touches of the ball. That’s why we had problems,” he said. “It is like it is. We just got out early today and simply stopped the run. Something like that happens. You feel like you need to get back into the game and it just eludes you.”
This, coupled with unusual defensive problems, put a lot of pressure on Wilson. But he didn’t seem daunted by his performance.
“It’s tough, man,” Wilson said. “I thought I had a good look for the first three quarters of the game, but we kept getting stopped.”