Twenty games into Zach Wilson's career, and it's starting to look like the BYU standout is nothing more than that: a BYU standout.
With a combined record of 8-12, the Jets' Wilson has yet to showcase the skill set it takes to be an NFL quarterback — and he's doing so with a team that has one of the best defenses in the league. This point was proven even more Sunday when Wilson and the New York Jets went up against the New England Patriots — who have beaten the Jets 14 times in a row now. And approximately 90% of Sunday's loss can be attributed to Wilson, while the other 10% can be assigned to the punt team for its performance on the last play of the game.
Zach Wilson Might Be a Certified Bust
Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
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Following the 10-3 loss, Wilson was asked by the media if he felt as if he let the defense down at all, considering it only gave up 3 points prior to the Patriots' game-winning punt return. "No," said Wilson. That's all he said to that question, as he ended his day following that question. For someone like Wilson who has talked about taking accountability, being so short in his response to that question really doesn't seem as though he's taking accountability.
There's a quarterback who plays in upstate New York — Buffalo, to be exact — who was in a similar situation not too long ago. Josh Allen, however, did what a quarterback should do when he plays poorly and is a reason his team lost: Take accountability. "It's tough' to win when your quarterback plays like s—-," Allen said following the Bills' Week 9 loss to the Jets.
Watching Wilson this season, it seems as if he's completely lost. In the Week 11 loss to the Patriots, that sentiment was expanded to the utmost degree. While it's not solely Wilson's fault the offense was as stagnant as it was, Wilson's performance did nothing to make the offense better. In fact, it was as if he was intentionally throwing the game. Wilson finished the game nine completions on 22 attempts for 77 yards and no TDs or interceptions — though the Patriots dropped a few very easy interceptions.
For an offense to average 2.77 inches per play in the second half is an absolutely crazy stat. Again, it's not only Wilson's fault, but he surely didn't do much to soften the blow.
Now, maybe he's just had one bad game, right? Maybe he's not all that bad and just played poorly against a divisional rival in questionable weather. Well, that's what I'd say if I never watched Wilson prior to Sunday. But this whole season, Wilson has done nothing to show why he was the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Maybe critics are being too hard on the second-year quarterback. He can't be that bad, right? Let's take a look at his ranking:
Zach Wilson's 2022 QB Ranking (Through Week 10)
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
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- Pass rating: 72.6 (32nd)
- Completion percentage: 55.6% (33rd)
- Pass TD-INT ratio: 4 TDs-5 INTs (31st)
- Pass TD/attempts: 2.1% (T-31st)
Well, OK, maybe he is a certified bust.
And until either he figures it out or the New York Jets admit their mistake and move on, Wilson will continue letting the Jets down. He's not an NFL-caliber quarterback. Both the film and his stats do nothing but back that statement up.
But at least he had that cool throw in his pro day while wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
