New York Jets starting quarterback Zach Wilson had a rocky start to his NFL career.
He faced his predecessor, Sam Darnold, and lost his first professional football game, 19-14.
Wilson had a decent stat line of 258 yards and two touchdowns in his debut.
Jets fans watching Zach Wilson and Sam Darnold pic.twitter.com/tBgfDQfbjP
— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) October 3, 2021
However, he threw an interception to Shaq Thompson while Darnold finished with 279 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the loss, this performance is a good start to his maiden campaign.
Unfortunately, the New England Patriots made it tough on him in Week 2.
The Jets failed to score a touchdown, and Wilson threw four picks, two of which to J.C. Jackson.
Zach Wilson’s 3-7 with 3 picks vs the #Patriots in the first half would like to have a word lol
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 3, 2021
Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips each had an interception as well.
Wilson and the Jets failed to score even a single point against the Denver Broncos a week later.
The rookie from BYU had two interceptions and threw for only 160 yards.
Seven interceptions in three games are not a good image for the second overall pick in the 2021 draft.
He is struggling to read NFL defenses which are more complex than what he dealt with in college.
Malik Reed makes his way to Zach Wilson.
It's a Broncos sack party! pic.twitter.com/v9TBv9fQmW
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) September 26, 2021
But Wilson reversed the trend in their Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans.
The Jets were down 17-10 early in the fourth quarter after a one-yard touchdown run by reigning Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry.
However, Wilson placed New York in the driver’s seat after two consecutive touchdown drives.
His three-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder leveled the count at 17.
After a Tennessee three-and-out, Wilson threw a 53-yard strike to Corey Davis to take a 24-17 lead.
ZACH WILSON 🚀 COREY DAVIS
pic.twitter.com/TBRNr1NaYF— PFF (@PFF) October 3, 2021
The Titans forced overtime via a two-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Cameron Batson.
Previous performances would dictate that the Jets will falter against the Titans.
But Wilson came of age during the extension.
Wilson Willed The Jets To Victory
New York had first dibs to score in overtime, and Wilson embraced the challenge.
He completed passes of nine and 29 yards to Keelan Cole before connecting with an 11-yard gain to Crowder.
On second-and-goal at Tennessee’s nine-yard line, Wilson found Tevin Coleman for an eight-yard gain.
Unfortunately, he got tackled three yards behind the line of scrimmage on the next play.
But Matt Ammendola converted his 22-yard field goal attempt to give New York the upper hand, 27-24.
Former #okstate kicker Matt Ammendola puts the Jets up 3 in overtime. He's 2-for-2 on the day.
New York is looking for its first win of the season. pic.twitter.com/PUn0xu7LYD— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) October 3, 2021
Randy Bullock’s failed 49-yard kick gave the Jets their first win of the season.
It took them 14 games before they won a game in 2020.
This time, they will be 1-3 going into Week 5.
Wilson did throw a pick to Kristian Fulton earlier in the game.
Zach Wilson throws an Interception: pic.twitter.com/qmgswbvRUI
— Alex👋 (@dbs408) October 3, 2021
But he showed up when it mattered and finished with 21 completions for 297 yards and two touchdowns.
This victory will boost his confidence as they face the Atlanta Falcons in London, England.
He proved that he could be tough as nails when he needed to step up.
However, he’s still far from being one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.
Still, the Tennessee game proved that his game is progressing, and more experience will expedite his improvement.
A thank you to Jets fans from @ZachWilson 💚 pic.twitter.com/4cSic3OvJa
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 3, 2021
A win over Matt Ryan and the Falcons will turn eyeballs towards the Jets because they must be doing something good as of late.
Perhaps Robert Saleh became more comfortable as head coach.
More importantly, Zach Wilson’s progress will prove that his draft position is not an anomaly.
NEXT: 3 Ways Jets Can Show Progress In Week 4
