All eyes were on Zach Wilson on Sunday in the New York Jets’ first game after Aaron Rodgers’ devastating Achilles injury. The 24-year-old turned in a noteworthy performance in Week 1 after Rodgers was carted off the field, helping New York emerge with a 22-16 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Jets fans were hoping that Wilson would be able to build on his performance from Week 1 with another strong showing against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. This was not the case.
Zach Wilson Leaves a Lot to Be Desired in First Game Without Aaron Rodgers
Wilson actually had a strong start in this one, throwing a perfect pass to Garrett Wilson who converted a 68-yard touchdown to open the scoring for New York in the second quarter. The Jets were able to cut down Dallas’ deficit to 10-7 at that point.
ZACH WILSON TO GARRETT WILSON 💥
68 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 😱pic.twitter.com/t3ymFE0dlx
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 17, 2023
They were able to score another field goal before halftime, but unfortunately, that was all she wrote for the Jets. The Cowboys shut out New York in the second half to secure a 30-10 victory, marking their second win in two games.
For his part, Wilson went for 12-of-27 in this one for 170 yards and one touchdown. It was far from an impressive showing, though, as the former second-overall pick also ended up throwing three interceptions in what turned out to be a forgettable performance.
Unsurprisingly, the mean streets of Twitter went full savage on Zach Wilson after seeing him play in his first game as New York’s QB1 this season. Below are the funniest Aaron Rodgers reactions from social media:
The Jets putting Aaron Rodgers back out there for Week 3 after seeing a complete game from Zach Wilson pic.twitter.com/HcwevhM438
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 17, 2023
https://twitter.com/RatiodByJalen/status/1703549502970290570
Aaron Rodgers to Zach Wilson on facetime tomorrow morning. #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/Uf0t8DJIJq
— JetsSopranos (@JetsSopranos) September 17, 2023
Aaron Rodgers on 1 achilles is still better than Zach Wilson. Jets might just have to tell #8 to suck it up and get back out there next week.
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) September 17, 2023
We were told last week the Jets were ‘very confident’ quarterback Zach Wilson was improved as he took over for Aaron Rodgers.
What I saw today is improved Wilson of 2023 looked a lot like benched Wilson of 2022. https://t.co/D1uw6bCDWX
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) September 18, 2023
Will Jets Stick With Zach Wilson?
At this point, it’s safe to say that the keyboard warriors aren’t very confident in Zach Wilson’s ability to carry this team as Aaron Rodgers nurses his torn Achilles. Jets head coach Robert Saleh previously noted that Wilson is going to be “the guy” moving forward as he gave his young quarterback a strong vote of confidence following Rodgers’ injury.
One lackluster performance shouldn’t be enough to change Saleh and the front office’s outlook on Wilson for the rest of the season. However, there’s also no denying that Sunday’s outing will only add even more pressure on Wilson to perform in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, and of course, beyond that.
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