Last Sunday marked an important milestone for New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, as he had the opportunity to go up against the renowned Bill Belichick and his formidable New England Patriots. Wilson’s debut to the division rivalry was not short of disappointing. On his first pass of the day, Wilson threw an interception to pro bowler J.C. Jackson. This would snowball and determine how the majority of the game going forward would play out.
The rookie Wilson was intercepted four times in his first ten pass attempts, href=”https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32237560/new-england-patriots-pick-new-york-jets-rookie-qb-zach-wilson-3-s-1st-half” per ESPN. The performance by Wilson led to the 25-6 loss at Metlife Stadium. He learned a tough lesson about being too aggressive. Furthermore, he tried to make it up for his mistakes all in one play.
“It’s fine to have a less exciting football game. That’s basically it,” said coach Robert Saleh after the 0-2 record. “He’s a dynamic guy. He’s incredibly competitive and has a strong desire to win, but sometimes it’s alright to be uneventful. That’s probably the most important lesson he can learn from this.”
Zach Wilson’s Rookie Mistakes
Number two overall draft pick, Wilson, threw more interceptions in the first half of that game than he did his entire junior year at BYU. Wilson made tons of rookie mistakes throughout the duration of the game. He began to get antsy and started forcing passes down the field. One would assume, it may have been wiser to take the safe check-down throw.
“This is what we expected, right?” Wilson said. “… I just need to remember my role here. I play a crucial part in this whole setup, and I just have to keep growing and improving. I need to maintain that confidence and energy week after week.”
New York Jets Have High Hopes
He became the first Jets quarterback to throw three interceptions in the first half of the game since Geno Smith in 2014. This is not a common occurrence, as matter of fact, the only quarterback to do it since the start of the 2020 season was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. According to sources, Wilson is the fourth rookie top-five pick in the last 20 years to throw four interceptions without any touchdown passes in a game.
“He wasn’t struggling or anything,” Saleh said about Wilson. “He just needs to grasp the basics of ball security and other fundamental aspects.”
All four interceptions were detrimental to the outcome of the game. However, as the Jets grow and become more poised as the season goes forward many believe Wilson will come into himself and find ways to win football games for the Jets. He has a high ceiling but has a rough couple of weeks and hopefully can bounce back from embarrassment and disappointment from the previous week against the Denver Broncos on the road.
