Imagine this scenario: the struggle New York Jetslosing a grip on their playoff hopes, turn their season with Zach Wilson come alive in the last three games.
It’s the Jets’ dream anyway. Their unexpected entry into the playoff race this season has at times been overshadowed by the struggles of their sophomore quarterback. Instead of a young star leading them to a winning record, the team benched Wilson because they thought Mike White was an upgrade. Then they had to turn on Wilson when White got hurt.
There’s still time for Wilson to become a great quarterback – watch how Jalen hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen, among others, took off in their third season – and a chance for him to end this season on a very high note. It starts Thursday night in a huge game for the Jets against surging Jacksonville Jaguars.
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At 7-7, the Jets can still make the playoffs. They will have to start winning, and for that they need Wilson to play well. A lot is at stake in the last three weeks.
Zach Wilson vs. Trevor Lawrence
It was supposed to be a fun matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the 2021 NFL Draft. But the two players are on a lot of different paths. Trevor Lawrence looks like a star and has been One of the NFL’s best quarterbacks since early November. Wilson needed an injury to White to have a chance to start against Lawrence.
Wilson started last week against the Detroit Lions and the stats looked good. He had 317 yards and two touchdowns. He showed his arm talent on a few games. But the same old problems persist.
Wilson launched a terrible interception in which he seemed to completely misinterpret the cover. And he just wasn’t accurate enough, especially on the easy throws that are essential for any competent NFL quarterback. Wilson was off target on 35.3% of his passes last week, even worse than his mark of 35% against the New England Patriots in the game that benched him, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Wilson just wasn’t good enough. He can make jamming plays when everything goes down, and that’s where you see his immense athletic gifts. But from game to game, it hasn’t been consistent. It seems pretty obvious that he hasn’t conquered the locker room either.
Thursday night will be especially hard to tell the difference between Wilson and Lawrence as they near the end of their second season. Lawrence has 14 touchdowns and one interception in the Jaguars’ last six games. He was dominant in a win last week against Dallas Cowboys. It’s easy to imagine him winning an MVP in the next few years.
The Jets never had a chance against Lawrence, so it’s not like they can regret giving up on him or anything. But a team has a bright future with an exciting young quarterback. The Jets have a lot of questions.
Jets, Jaguars got a lot on the line
Thursday night is a huge game for the Jaguars and the Jets.
The Jaguars have won three out of four and suddenly find themselves in the AFC South race. They are 6-8, one game behind the 7-7 Tennessee Titans, but has beaten the Titans once and has a Week 18 game with Tennessee at home. The Jaguars need to stay in a Titans game through Week 18, and a win over the Jets would be a big step towards that.
The Jets were in great shape in a 5-2 start, but they continued to slide. They have lost four of five since a huge win over the Buffalo Tickets right before their week off. Wilson was benched because the offense wasn’t good and although White made a few plays, the Jets didn’t win. White took a lot of punishment two weeks ago in a rematch against the Bills and hasn’t played since.
In a perfect world, Wilson would come to life starting Thursday night and White would never return to the Jets. The Jets’ best-case scenario still involves the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft becoming a star. What they have seen so far is disappointing. There is still time to turn around.
The Jets are hoping this will coincide with their late-season push for the playoffs.
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