We're at the point now where you actually have to feel bad for New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. Of course, I'm sure any New York Jets fans reading along will silently but very quickly retort, “Nah, F that!”. I get it. As a fan of the Chicago Bears, I'm all too familiar with inept quarterback play. I know how infuriating it can be when you feel like everything else for your team has lined up, and it's just the man under center who is holding them back. But let me just say this: the way that Jets coach Robert Saleh has continued to back his back-up quarterback is exactly what he should be doing. What sense is there in throwing your already overwhelmed quarterback under the bus after he throws yet another a back-breaking interception to lose a game?

Following the game, Saleh was asked about how he felt Zach Wilson had played in the Jets Sunday Night Football loss to the Raiders.

“I thought he did alright ya know. Obviously, a couple of plays I’m sure he wants back. I thought the linebacker made an unbelievable play on the interception. I thought he moved around the pocket well, he picked up some good yards with his legs. We were converting third downs, I think at the best rate that we’ve been converting. To give a full assessment on Zach, I think it’d be fair to ask for everyone around him to play a little bit better. Especially with the penalties, but overall, I thought he did a decent job.” (h/t Paul A. Esden Jr. of Heavy.com)

Robert Saleh isn't wrong. Up until the point of the game-ending interception, Wilson had played just well enough for the Jets to come away with the victory in a very winnable game. The Jets were penalized eight times for 83 yards, compared to only 3 for 25 for the Raiders. The Jets converted nearly half of their third downs, and were leading the turnover margin 2-0 before the Robert Spillane pick of Zach Wilson.

Again, I get the frustration with Wilson, especially considering he was the #2 overall pick in the draft in 2021. You expect the guy you take with that pick to be a franchise cornerstone moving forward, whether he's a quarterback or not. Wilson had been so bad his first two seasons that the Jets felt compelled to trade for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. But with total certainty, I can tell you that things would only get worse if Robert Saleh didn't have Zach Wilson's back.