The New York Jets ended another disappointing season with a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Week 18 game in Buffalo ended with a final score of 27-10 in favor of the home team. The Bills are now moving on to the playoffs, while the Jets are preparing to watch the playoffs from home. The team finished with a deep losing record of 4-13, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention all the way back in Week 14. Zach Wilson and the Jets put up a valiant effort against the dominant Bills despite the seemingly meaningless game. Let's take a look at the biggest takeaways for the Jets in their Week 18 season finale loss.

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Jets Week 18 Takeaways

3. There is a LOT of work to do

This has been obvious for a while now. The Jets haven't had a winning record since they went 10-6 in 2015. You would think that a team with so many opportunities to pick up talent over the past few years would be able to rebuild, but the Jets are proof that that isn't always the case.

The Jets did pick up Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — but they need more. This season, New York averaged 18.2 points per game. In Week 18, they could only put up 10 points against the Bills. To rebuild this team, Wilson needs some offensive help in both reliable targets and agile running backs to increase productivity on the offensive side of the ball.

2. Potential next man up

Like every team this season, the Jets have been riddled with injuries and plagued by COVID-19 outbreaks. For example, the team's top three wide receivers are injured, which isn't giving Wilson much to work with (see takeaway No. 3). However, their absences in Week 18 allowed another receiver to show what he can do for New York.

Keelan Cole was Wilson's top target on Sunday with three receptions, 54 yards, and a touchdown. While this wasn't a lot by any means, Cole's performance should give Jets fans a little bit of hope. For one, Cole caught every single pass thrown his way, including a 40-yard completion. Not many backup receivers have that kind of chemistry with their quarterback.

Along with his success, Cole also provided momentum for the team. The Jets were down 10-0 going into the second quarter, which is when he added six points to the board. While the result wasn't what they had wanted, Cole scored against a seemingly unbreakable defense to give his team a boost.

1. Zach Wilson is the future of the Jets

The Week 18 loss against Buffalo was a great example of an all-around team loss. Wilson was only able to connect with his receivers seven times for only 87 yards, while Josh Allen and the Bills dominated the clock on offense. To put it quite plainly, it was an embarrassing way for the Jets to end an already brutal season. However, the is a silver lining.

It wasn't what Wilson did during the game, but what he did afterward that proved himself as a capable leader of this football team. Not even 24 hours after the loss, Wilson took to social media to recognize his team for their hard work that was on display all season.

As a 22-year-old, this is a tremendous sign of effective leadership. Even at such a young age, Wilson is optimistic enough to lift up his teammates after a rough season, but mature enough to know what's at stake. Those are the characteristics that the franchise quarterback of the New York Jets needs to lead his team to success.