Zach Wilson must rise to occasion for playoff-ready Jets after alarming setback vs. Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Zach Wilson stood behind the podium in the bowels of MetLife Stadium still donning his game attire. For the first time in his young Jets career, he cut short questions, snipping back with bristled responses. The quarterback appeared like he couldn’t wait to step down from this stage. It seemed obvious he wanted no part of this — not after that.

That, of course, being the Jets’ 22-17 loss to the Patriots.

New England exposed Wilson as the Jets’ weakest link Sunday — feeding the narrative that New York had been winning in spite of their quarterback, not because of him. The Jets asked Wilson to lead them to victory and instead, he was the reason they lost — his play lowlighted by three egregious interceptions.

The Jets’ troublesome reality is this: They are a playoff team held back by their quarterback.

You hope that changes in the very near future.

“No,” Wilson said when asked if he shoulders this loss. “But I need to be better.”

The Jets entered this game against New England hot. They’d won four straight, including five of six. But at no point during that streak did Wilson resemble a player drafted second overall. He completed just 14 of 21 passes for 210 yards in a 40-17 victory over the Dolphins. He went 10 of 18 for 110 yards in a 27-10 victory over the Packers. He was 16 of 26 for 121 in a 16-9 win over the Broncos. He didn’t throw a touchdown in any of those games, but he also didn’t throw an interception.

It’s hard to rip a team when they’re winning. That’s why Wilson largely skated free from his underwhelming play. This game against New England though was supposed to be the exorcism of such criticism. The Dolphins, Packers and Broncos all possessed top-tier defenses.

New England, fresh off a beatdown by the Bears, did not.

If this was truly a measuring stick, the Jets should be in a full-on panic.

Wilson completed just 20 of 41 passes (48.8 percent) for 355 yards (most in garbage time), two touchdowns (one in garbage time), and three interceptions. The latter two of those three picks were unfathomably ridiculous. Wilson failed to throw a pass out of bounds (Devin McCourty picked it off on the sideline), then he tossed one off his backfoot to no one in particular. McCourty gleefully camped underneath that one as well.

“There are always things that happen and sometimes you sit there and you wonder, ‘Why did I just do that,’ kind of thing,” Wilson said. “But it’s part of football. You’ve got to move on. You’ve got to learn.”

The Jets were able to rely on a ferocious defense and rookie phenom Breece Hall during their win streak. That defense was still good against New England, but Hall is now on injured reserve after tearing his ACL against Denver. That’s why the Jets put more on Wilson’s shoulders. Aside from an impressive six-play, 62-yard drive in the second quarter (Wilson capped it with a touchdown pass to Tyler Conklin) — he was varying degrees of incompetent.

You can’t have that and expect sustained success in the NFL.

The Jets spent most of this summer, and the beginning portions of the season, insisting to all that Wilson was an improved player from his rookie season. Maybe they were just trying to convince themselves because it certainly didn’t look that way throughout organized team activities, minicamp and training camp. But then came that fourth quarter against the Steelers — Wilson’s first game back after missing the first three with a knee injury. He was dreadful the first three but finished the fourth 10-of-12 passing for 128 yards with a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 138.9. He led the Jets to a game-winning touchdown.

The Jets hung their hat on that. It was enough validation to erase the questions that ensued when it appeared the Jets won despite Wilson’s spotty play. Now, though, the numbers are alarming.

As a rookie, Wilson threw for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games. He completed 55.6 percent of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 69.7.

This year, in five games, Wilson has thrown for 1,048 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. Expand those numbers to 13 games? Wilson’s second-year markers are tracking toward 2,724 passing yards, eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He has a completion percentage of 54.9 and a passer rating of 71.01.

Those numbers include that fourth quarter against the Steelers. In every other quarter this season, Wilson is 68 of 130 (52 percent) for 920 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

“I don’t care about stats,” Wilson said.

The Jets have developed faster than many expected. Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas made the decision last year to play their youth from the jump — continuing so in 2022. The Jets have legitimate weapons littered across the offense. Even without Hall, there’s Michael Carter, Tyler Conklin, Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and Corey Davis (when healthy). The defense, led by Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, is playing like a top-five unit in the NFL.

In doing so, the timeline for New York’s expected success has accelerated. These young players — despite being inexperienced — are ready to win now. The Jets might not be a Super Bowl contender, but they’re a playoff team.

Their quarterback is who’s holding him back. Anyone who watches their games can tell that.

And you best believe those in the locker room do, too.

Last year, when Wilson struggled, so too did those around him. They were enduring a learning curve together. But now those players around Wilson are ready. He’s the one still trailing behind. Players won’t willingly accept punting on a season to try to develop another player.

“We just have to rally around him,” Saleh said. “He is still a young man. Playing quarterback in this league is not easy. Collectively, we have to do better for him.

“He just has to be able to do what he did the last four weeks in terms of just doing the simple stuff and not putting too much pressure on himself to do more than he needs to. We will continue to work with him. We have all the faith in the world in him. He just has to continue to find ways to continue to get better.”

That sounds good, in theory. It’s much harder in practice. Players want to be put in the best position to win. If Wilson’s struggles continue, can you really make the argument he’s the best option under center?

The Patriots provided the blueprint on how to beat the Jets: Make Wilson do it. All other teams will follow a similar script.

You hope Wilson eventually rises to the occasion.

Because he didn’t — and couldn’t — on Sunday.

And the Jets are doomed until he does.