It is too simplistic to place the burden of ending the Jets’ 12-year playoff drought solely on Zach Wilson.
But at a moment in time when the Jets offensive line is in flux if not in shambles with center Connor McGovern the latest starter heading to injured reserve, it is incumbent upon Zach Wilson to play the best quarterback of his underwhelming career.
If he wants to earn the trust of his fan base, this is the time.
He will have idol Aaron Rodgers pulling the puppeteer strings for him along with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. He still has Garrett Wilson.
And best of all, he has Breece Hall, who tore his ACL on Week 7 a year ago, back as Breece the Beast.
He and the entire offense even understand now how to line up hurriedly and clock the ball with barely enough time to kick a damn field goal.
Ultimately, it is a quarterback-driven league. It is why he was the second-overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. It is why Woody Johnson wanted heaven and earth moved for Rodgers, and the Jets will miss the playoffs again if Zach Wilson can’t drive them better.
Ultimately, it is Zach Wilson, more than anyone, who must figure out the way to negotiate the razor-thin margin between winning and losing in a conference practically begging the Jets to reach the postseason.
Because these are the Cardiac Jets:
Every one of their games this season has been decided by 10 points or fewer except for Cowboys 30, Jets 10. Five of them have been decided by six points or less:
Wilson played hero ball in the last minute of regulation when the Jets needed a hero against the Giants.
The Jets needed a hero against the Giants simply because he had played zero ball for the better part of 59 minutes.
So call them the CardiZach Jets.
“The positive thing is that I know we’ll be in every game,” Robert Saleh said. “We’re gonna fight our tails off, our defense, our special teams, our kicking game, our run game, all of it’s gonna tie together.”
You don’t become a playoff team unless and until it is the quarterback who ties it all together.
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“Everyone wants to point at reasons why things aren’t clicking the way they are, but it’s a collective effort,” Saleh continued, “but I’ve got unwavering faith … eventually things are gonna click and it’s gonna look pretty cool.”
The Zach Wilson who outdueled Allen, Mahomes and Russell Wilson is the Zach Wilson that Saleh and the Jets will need now. Not the Zach Wilson who barely survived Tommy DeVito … 17 of 36 passing (47.2 per cent)? Wink Martindale and the elements were a problem, yes, but come on! Unacceptable!
Nobody passed a law that says your quarterback is forbidden to convert on third down or throw a touchdown pass in the red zone.
For all the talk about how Wilson has grown in confidence, and displayed better footwork in the pocket, and begun to mesh with Hackett, his passer rating has improved from 72.8 a year ago to 74.3.
Kudos to ever-ready Xavier Newman and all that, but it would help were tackle Duane Brown and rookie center/guard Joe Tippmann to return sooner rather than later.
“You just pray to God every morning that you get a little continuity and you can string together a couple of weeks and find a way to get better,” Saleh said.
You just pray to God that your quarterback is not the one who sends you home for the winter.
Zach Wilson crumbled last November at the worst possible time, immediately after he had beaten Allen and the Bills at MetLife Stadium to get the Jets to 6-3.
“We don’t flinch,” Saleh said afterwards. “I think we’re too young to flinch.”
And then his quarterback flinched, Wilson was benched after he was inept on the field in a 10-3 loss and in the postgame press conference in Foxborough (and was benched again against the Jaguars) and never won another game the rest of the way.
The Jets (15.3 ppg) are 29th in scoring, only better than the Patriots (14.8), Steelers (14.1) and Giants (11.4). They were 29th in 2022 when they averaged 16.8 ppg.
“It’s imperative that we improve as an offense every single week, every single day,” Allen Lazard said. “It’s definitely gonna be a game or two by the time the season ends where as an offense we’re gonna be relied on a lot more.”
There is one 5-3 team, four 4-3 teams, four 3-4 teams and two 3-5 teams in the AFC. The Jets are one of the 4-3 teams. So there is certainly light at the end of this playoff tunnel. Unless you believe that Rodgers is a Miracle Man, the quarterback of the CardiZach Jets is the one who needs to stay out of any darkness retreat.