It wasn’t the Jets staying alive for the playoffs after the New England Patriots’ loss on Christmas Eve or the Miami Dolphins’ defeat on Christmas Day that gave Jets fans a reason to be excited. It was the news that Jets quarterback Mike White would return to play this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
White’s return brings hope and belief that the Jets can make the playoffs. After Jets head coach Robert Saleh said he wasn’t going to think about the playoffs in his postgame presser following the Jets’ 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he now has a reason to think about it.
White gives the Jets the best chance to make the playoffs. If the team wins both games and the Patriots lose at least once, the Jets enter the postseason. Yes, it’s no wonder there’s interest in the team all of a sudden. There’s a good reason to watch the final two games. No one would say that if Zach Wilson were the quarterback.
As for Wilson, what’s there to be said? His future with the Jets is up in the air. Already, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer mentioned the Jets could part ways with him in the offseason.
Speaking in absolutes can be dangerous when it comes to predicting what will happen to a player, but it sure feels like Wilson is a goner here. The Jets will enter next season as a win-now team, and that means they need a competent quarterback who can take them to the postseason and win some playoff games. Wilson is far from a finished product, and after losing his teammates and the fanbase, it’s going to be hard to get them back.
To say Zach Wilson’s first two seasons as a Jet are a failure is an understatement.
Wilson hasn’t elevated the Jets or improved his own performance in the two seasons he’s played for the team. It’s been one bad showing after another when he’s under center in the 22 starts he’s made. He can’t throw the football at all. When the Jets were in the red zone, he tried to make a difference but ultimately did nothing but disappoint. He threw nine touchdown passes last season, This season, and he’ll finish with six.
Wilson’s awful start came to a head on Nov. 20 in the Jets’ 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots at Foxborough. The Jets defense played an excellent game, yet the Jets lost because Wilson struggled -and failed- to generate any offense at all. In the second half, he threw two interceptions to Devin McCourty, along with five three-and-outs in that half. Try as he might, Wilson could not get the Jets to the red zone.
The second-year quarterback put on an incompetent performance by going 9-of-22 for 77 yards with a QB rating of 50.8. Ultimately, he only helped the Jets score three points. According to NFL Gen Stats, Wilson went 4-of-9 to targets with 3 yards of separation, he went 4-for-11 for 12 yards in the second half. It wasn’t within his power to complete 10 passes or throw for more than 80 yards. The Jets have had as many first downs as they have sacks with six. They punted ten times, which is more than their nine completions.
It wasn’t just the awful start that made Wilson stand out. It was also the answer he gave to a postgame question that became a story. When asked if he thought he felt awful for squandering the excellent defensive effort, he sneered and answered no. That moment was the beginning of the end for Wilson.
Not surprisingly, Wilson’s defensive teammates were furious. The ire spiraled far out of control that Jets head coach Robert Saleh had no choice but to bench his quarterback for his conduct. Saleh couldn’t afford to lose his players due to the QB’s dismissive response about his own (lack of) performance. Instead, in an effort to satisfy his defensive unit, Saleh opted for a quarterback change.
Mike White started for the Jets after Wilson’s ineffective performance against the New England Patriots. The Jets responded with a 31-10 victory against the awful Bears, and they played well against the Minnesota Vikings despite a 27-22 loss. White did rally the team against the Vikings, and if Braxton Berrios had caught the ball, the Jets would have won the game in the final seconds.
White got hurt against the Bills when Bills linebacker Matt Milano delivered a hit on the quarterback that resulted in broken ribs. Yes, White played through it, but it landed him on the injured list.
With days to go, Wilson got his job back at a moment’s notice. He started against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars, and not surprisingly, he struggled. He was okay in the Jets’ 20-17 loss to the Lions, in which he was 18-of-35 for 317 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, but he struggled to make winning plays down the stretch. A few days later, he stunk against the Jacksonville Jaguars, going 9-of-18 for 92 yards with an interception that resulted in his being benched in the third quarter after two series.
Now Wilson will be inactive once again. It will be surprising if he plays again this season. Sure, White can get hurt. But if that possibility occurs, the Jets could go with Chris Streveler rather than with Wilson. They know Wilson is not in a good place where he can step up now. He wasn’t even in a good place when he got his job back, and it would have been too much to ask for him to perform against the Lions and Jaguars at home with Jets fans ready to boo him at a moment’s notice.
Not only did Wilson lose the fans for good, but he likely lost his teammates for good, too. If we are being honest, he never got his teammates back after he made the mistake of being dismissive of his performance against the Patriots in November. It was obvious based on how the defense and offensive line laid down against the Jaguars by not playing hard and not going all in.
Wilson needs a change of scenery. It clearly isn’t working here. There’s no point for the Jets to try to make this work.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh can say all the right things he wants about this being fixable, but he knows better.
When all is said and done, Zach Wilson will join a list of Jets star-crossed quarterbacks that never panned out in being the next Joe Namath.
You can follow me or reach me on Twitter: @LMonteiroJSN
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