Patrick Mahomes has played against, and often beaten, a litany of legendary and rising-star quarterbacks — Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow — but he's never been as thoroughly outplayed by the opposing signal-caller as he was this week on Sunday Night Football.
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The passer who completely bested Mahomes in all ways except the final score line was none other than Zach Wilson, the embattled third-year Jets QB, who was thrust back into the starting role after Rodgers went down with a major Achilles injury.
Zach Wilson is the ONLY QB to ever have fewer INT’s and more completions, passing yards, and TD passes in a game against Mahomes in college or the NFL (in a Mahomes start)
WILD. 🤯
(via @OptaSTATS) pic.twitter.com/oobZwUIWDU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 2, 2023
As you can see in the above tweet, Wilson outproduced Mahomes in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, all without throwing an interception. Mahomes tossed two interceptions and nearly a third if not for a truly outrageous flag on the defense. Wilson was hard on himself after the game, which the Jets lost 23-20 due in part to a turnover on a fumbled snap, but he should be proud of the way he played against a solid Chiefs defense and with a future Hall of Famer on the other side.
Wilson's Jets hadn't been given much of a chance by the public, but they competed hard and tied the game with a stellar drive and two-point conversion early in the second half. Wilson made several impressive throws on that drive, which was very nearly the best we've seen from him during his time as a pro. The Jets were in it right until the end, when a very controversially officiated Chiefs drive ended with a Mahomes scramble for a first down to put the game on ice.
It's been a tough season for the Jets that started with the injury to Rodgers and has since involved three straight losses. But with easier opponents on the horizon, Wilson has a chance to rack up some wins and continue to rebuild his value to the franchise or in a trade with some solid play.
With a trip to Denver coming up to face a Broncos team that is sitting at 1-3 after nearly losing to the Chicago Bears, Wilson and the Jets could finally be rewarded for their resilience with a nice win — and perhaps even the faintest glimmer of hope in the AFC playoff race.
