Robert Saleh says it's easy to blame Zach Wilson for the Jets' issues

The New York Jets were riding their hottest streak of the NFL season. Winners of three straight and with the rest of the division struggling, the playoffs seemed like a realistic goal. And while one setback won’t necessarily change the entire picture, it does raise some concerns again.

Even in the wins, Zach Wilson was far from impressive. Granted that his offensive line hasn’t given him any time or space to operate and rival teams have managed to get to him easily, but the little signs of improvement from last season haven’t been enough.

The Jets boast a stellar defense that could give them a chance to win week in and week out. But kicking field goals just isn’t enough to get the job done, especially in the most pass-happy era in NFL history.

However, as much as some analysts and fans believe that they should just go on and bench Wilson, HC Robert Saleh continues to stand by his backup QB. He claims it’s not fair or enough to put the entire blame on him and held his entire team accountable for the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Robert Saleh Stands By Zach Wilson

“It would be one thing if it was just him,” Saleh told SNY. “It is the easy thing to do. He and the play-caller are the two most visible things, so when things aren’t good, it’s easy to blame them. It’s easy to blame the people who are most visible to the camera. If it was just him, that would be worth discussing, but this is a collective issue.”

Wilson completed 33 of 49 passes for 263 yards and no touchdowns against the Jets. Redzone execution wasn’t exactly the best, and he did have three fumbles (two lost). Then again, there’s only so much you can do when your offensive line allows eight sacks.

The Jets’ only points came via Greg Zuerlein, who connected from from 47 and 46 yards. Needless to say, this once again raises questions about whether the Jets could realistically pursue a postseason berth without Aaron Rodgers, which leads us to the next question.

Should Aaron Rodgers Come Back At All This Season?

Rodgers has been pushing to make an unprecedented in-season return after tearing his Achilles four plays into the year. That would be a major breakthrough for sports medicine, and his hard work has been inspiring for his teammates and colleagues.

But should the Jets actually take that risk? He’s 40 years old, and the sooner he could come back would be right in the middle of the playoffs. If the Jets already made the playoffs without him, why change at that point?

Truth be told, Zach Wilson continues to be the Jets’ best — and maybe only — option at this point. They could’ve addressed that issue before the trade deadline, but there’s just not much they could do about it at this point.