The New York Jets have now dropped back-to-back games after an impressive three-win streak. As expected, field goals weren’t enough to keep the ball rolling, as you have to score touchdowns to win in the National Football League, regardless of how good your defense is.
Once again, all fingers point at struggling QB Zach Wilson. Wilson has been fairly better in the first three quarters of the field, but he struggles mightily in the final 20 yards, and that was evident again in the loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Wilson completed 23 of 39 passes for 263 yards, throwing a crucial interception in a drive that could’ve given his team the lead. Instead, they had to settle with four field goals en route to a 16-12 loss:
“There’s so much frustration, I don’t know how to put it any other way,” Wilson told the team’s official website. “The hard thing is I know everyone is battling. We just have to find a way to be better out there.”
Zach Wilson
Saleh Blames Penalties For Loss
The Jets had more total yards (365) than their rivals and were an impressive 7 of 16 on third down. Even so, they had eight penalties for 83 yards, which is why HC Robert Saleh believes there could still be a light at the end of the tunnel if they clean their act up:
“The hard part for me is when I’m watching the game — it’s easy to look at the play-caller, the head coach, the quarterback,” Saleh said. “But we’re moving the ball. Today we moved the ball. But it’s just penalties, penalties on the O-line, penalties at tight end, penalties at running back. Just dumb, dumb stuff that we need to get cleaned up or it’s not going to change. But we can clean it up and at least give ourselves a chance to play clean football, to see what it looks like. I still believe it’ll look pretty good.”
Wilson echoed a similar sentiment after the loss, talking about how many big plays have been called back because of penalties. He also vowed to find a way to be better in that regard:
“It literally feels like every good play we have is getting called back,” Wilson added. “It’s so frustrating now. I know how important every drive is and I would hope the guys out know the call. We have to find a way to be better in those situations.”
Zach Wilson
The Clock Is Ticking
The Jets are now 4-5 for the season. They’re still third in the AFC East Division, but a playoff berth seems more out of reach now. They need to at least stay around .500 to keep dreaming about the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers just confirmed he’s targeting a return somewhere in mid-December. That means he could be on the field by Week 14 to face the up-and-coming Houston Texans, and he could still have four games left in the season to try and lead the team to the playoffs.
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For that to happen, the offense will need to be more disciplined, and Wilson will have to figure things out, as there will be little-to-no incentive to play Rodgers if they’re already well out of the playoff picture by then.
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