PATRIOTS 10 - JETS 3
It shouldn't have come down to a walk-off punt return for a touchdown for the New England Patriots, but it did.
When Marcus Jones brought back a punt 84-yards for a walk-off touchdown in the final seconds of the Patriots 10-3 win over the Jets, it ended a frustrating afternoon for Gang Green. An afternoon where the Jets defense was once again fantastic, while the Jets offense, specifically quarterback Zach Wilson just couldn't get the job done.
The Jets finished the day with only two yards of offense in the entire second half. Two yards. For his part Wilson completed only nine passes in 22 attempts for 77-yards. The effort was the fourth time this year Wilson finished a game with fewer than 160 yards passing, and fourth game where he completed less than 40 percent of his throws.
While he didn't turn it over, he was luck he didn't toss three picks, as the Patriots dropped the football each time -- the most obvious coming when Patriots safety Devin McCourty had a Wilson pass hit him right in the numbers and he couldn't hold on.
Wilson was missing badly. He was overthrowing receivers all over the place, including on screen passes -- such as the overthrows to wide open Braxton Berrios and Denzel Mims. He missed Garrett Wilson on a crossing route, which led to the receiver to visibly vent his frustration on the field and later to the media.
It was a nightmare.
When given a chance to take shoulder responsibility for the Jets inability to move the football, Wilson refused to answer.
By saying "no," Wilson showed great immaturity, and as a result, could end up losing favor in the locker room if he is not careful. He needed to be a leader, and that wasn't it.
Now Wilson is starting to really hear it from both the media and the fanbase, many of whom are questioning whether the Jets should have benched Wilson in favor of back-up quarterback Mike White.
The Jets entered Sunday with a chance to take first place in the AFC East. They exit Sunday in last place, with questions once again surrounding their young quarterback and football team.
When asked about the Jets offensive play, Head Coach Robert Saleh called it dog-shit, but refused to say he thought about benching Wilson.
The Jets face the Chicago Bears next week and quarterback Justin Fields, who has been dynamic this year, especially of late. Fields was the other quarterback the Jets could have selected with the second overall pick two years ago, but were convinced that Zach Wilson was their guy. Now they will square off Sunday.
If Wilson stinks it up again against Chicago, what more evidence do the Jets need that a chance has to come as soon as possible. Not just for the remainder of this year, but for the future as well.
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