Zach Wilson hopes to keep Jets’ offense trending in ‘right direction’ after bouncing back against Texans
After Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian failed to get much of anything going for the struggling Jets offense, head coach Robert Saleh decided to turn back to Zach Wilson for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
With a more relaxed approach and mindset, Wilson rewarded the coaching staff for the decision by putting together one of the best performances of his NFL career.
He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 27 of 36 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in a commanding 30-6 win.
“That’s something we all get to share,” he said. “Everybody played well and was clicking. Receivers were getting open and making the 50/50 plays. Hack was calling an awesome game. The offensive line was giving me more than enough time to sit back there and make plays.
“It’s exciting, it’s really a testament to this offense. We’ve been going through it obviously, but momentum was a thing for us in that game and I thought it was really cool that we were able to rebound. It felt good to finally have that flow as an offense.”
To this point it had been a frustrating campaign for Wilson and the Jets offense. After taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into the regular season opener, the former top overall pick struggled. Wilson was benched and demoted to the third-string role 10 games into the season after throwing for just six touchdowns while turning the ball over 16 times.
Gang Green quickly found themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, and Wilson’s future with the team is looking bleak, but Sunday’s strong performance was certainly a positive step.
“When good things happen then it snowballs in the right direction,” he said. “That’s our standard, that’s what we expect to happen. Now that we’ve set the bar there we need to go show we can do it again. Let’s not overthink it as an offense, let’s just go out there and play ball and do the same thing.”
Wilson and the Jets will certainly have a tough task as they look to build off their performance against the AFC East leading Miami Dolphins (9-4) on Sunday afternoon.
The quarterback knows things won’t come easy, but he’s looking forward to the opportunity.
“This is a good challenge for us, but I think we’re all excited for it,” he said. “I love competing, I love playing with the guys in this locker room. I love making the plays and doing the tough things and winning.
“Any opportunity you get to step on the field and get out and try to do that again you can’t wait for it.”
