New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson had his “Welcome to the NFL” moment in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick’s defense claimed four interceptions against Wilson and the Jets while allowing the young QB just 210 yards passing. At one point in the game, Wilson’s completion total equaled his INT total.
The final score wasn’t as crazy as you might expect after hearing about the day Wilson had. The Patriots won 25-6 in a game that was dominated by the Patriots’ defense. I’m not going to blame this loss entirely on Wilson, though. Sure, he looked puzzled and lost at times. Two of the picks were tipped first. Wilson isn’t the first, and he won’t be the last QB that Belichick’s defense will confuse. Belichick is known to make Pro Bowl veteran QB’s look like rookies up against his defense. Wilson played like a QB that was facing a Belichick defense for the first time.
Sometimes it feels like the Jets are doomed to fail. It’s only one game, but it’s sure to be a long rookie season for Wilson under center in New York. Hopefully, Week 2 against New England isn’t a foreshadowing for the rest of Wilson’s time with the Jets. I just hope Wilson can have as much success as Mark Sanchez did playing for the Jets. I know Sanchez was the beneficiary of a great defense and sound running game. But it wasn’t all butt fumbles and INTs for the “Sanchize” during his stint as QB for the Jets. Sanchez had a couple of significant victories over
Belichick and the Patriots, and he can even say he beat them in the playoffs.
We’ll see if Wilson uses this outing against the Pats as a learning tool and moves forward, having learned from the mistakes he made in this game. If he can do this, he may have a chance at helping to make this Jets team a contender in the AFC East in the future. Of course, it will be on the Jets to put the right talent around Wilson if they want him to succeed as their franchise QB. We know how that worked out for former Jets starter Sam Darnold, and now he’s in Carolina with a 2-0 record to start the season.
It won’t get too much easier for Wilson next week as the Jets take on the Broncos in Denver. We’ll see if the Jets can at least muster up a little more offense by getting in the end zone. I don’t see too many wins on the Jets schedule this year. So, for Wilson, it seems this will undoubtedly be a baptism by fire kind of season. Hopefully, playing for such a lousy franchise and taking a beating this year doesn’t shake Wilson’s confidence moving forward.
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