The New York Jets may have a full-on Zach Wilson problem. And it may go beyond his erratic play on the field.
Connor Hughes of SNY.TV and ESPN’s Rich Cimini each reported Monday that Wilson’s lack of accountability has irked his teammates.
Hearing this morning there’s a lot of raw feelings among #Jets defensive players. Clearly, Zach Wilson’s post-game accountability (or lack thereof) didn’t sit well.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) November 21, 2022
“Sources inside the Jets’ losing locker room told SNY that Wilson was walking around after the game ‘like he isn’t the problem,’” Hughes reported. “It rubbed more than a few the wrong way, frustrating several others.”
The latest example was Sunday after Wilson led an inept Jets offense with a dreadful performance in a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots. When asked if he let the Jets defense down after they played a stellar game and had New York in a position to win, Wilson coolly responded, “No.”
Instead of shouldering the blame, Wilson cited the Foxborough wind and shared how he gets as frustrated with his receivers as they do with him missing wide-open throws.
Does the QB know the playbook @nyjets ?? pic.twitter.com/T8kUbYUcSD
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 21, 2022
Wilson was nine of 22 for 77 yards in the air. He badly missed layups in the flat. He “led” the Jets to six first downs (two came after Patriots penalties) and five consecutive three-and-outs in the second half. New York managed 103 total yards, just two (!) in the second half.
Another Wilson, rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson, was more forthright in his postgame assessment than the quarterback.
“This s*** is not OK,” he said.
Coach Robert Saleh was equally as blunt, calling the second-half offense, “Dog s***.”
Twice recently Zach Wilson has mocked “outsiders” for their negative comments about him. But now it appears the 22-year-old must be concerned about what the insiders — his teammates and coaches — think of him.
The Jets (6-4) are 5-2 since Wilson returned from arthroscopic knee surgery. Their defense has been dominant and the offense has produced enough big plays and drives to win games. But not in a pair of losses to the Patriots, where Wilson was the focal point of why they lost each time. He threw three horrendous picks in a 22-17 home loss to the Patriots in Week 8.
Wilson has amends to make within the Jets locker room. And that could be as important to their surprising playoff push as anything he does on the field.
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