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Zach Wilson’s bitter postgame comments after his ugly first 2022 matchup against the Patriots sure sounded like a threat: “We’ll have these guys in two weeks.”
That’s bold talk for a man who might’ve just thrown three of the 10 worst interceptions you’ll see all season against a New England squad that’s now picked him seven times in his first three games against it.
Still, Bill Belichick isn’t taking the mercurial but talented Wilson lightly this time around, and neither should the Patriots. Last year served as a brief glimpse of why they're right not to get too comfortable.
Following his turnover fest in Week 2 of last season (19/33 for 210 yards, 4 INTs), Wilson actually buckled things down a bit against the Patriots in their Week 7 matchup in Foxborough, completing six of his 10 throws for 51 yards and no INTs before suffering an injury that knocked him from the game. It's unlikely he would've won them the game given how New England undressed New York's defense that day, but the progress was clear.
The Jets adjusted to throwing more short routes for him as an extension of the run game to get him going, and he also proved more controlled when escaping the pocket and looking for receivers down the field. Those kinds of coaching emphases are probably what we’ll see come through on Sunday: getting him in rhythm with easy completions, trying to remind him to climb pockets vertically rather than running toward the sideline and be selective in attacking the Patriots deep.
It’s not as if Wilson didn’t have good plays against New England a few weeks ago, throwing for 355 yards on 8.66 yards per attempt. If you turn receivers loose down the field, he has the arm talent to find them from anywhere.
The key will be New England limiting those deep shots by showing a lot of two-high safety looks, which they did in the first matchup, and forcing Wilson to be patient and take the underneath throws he’s given. As long as the Patriots make tackles and keep points off of the board, it’s going to test his resolve not to put the ball in harm’s way.
There’s good reason to expect the former No. 2 overall pick to be better than he was back in East Rutherford in Week 8. Weird things can happen when you play things twice in a season, and the Jets clearly aren’t the same pushover they’ve been in the past. That said, it’s hard to truly put faith in the Jets to beat the Patriots until Wilson reins in his immense skills.
New York's surprise win over Buffalo two weeks ago suggested he can play well enough to beat a truly elite team. The Patriots will certainly take heed of that going into Sunday.