Jets quarterback Zach Wilson said with confidence he didn’t let his defense down Sunday against the Patriots, despite only completing nine passes and putting three points on the board.
But video evidence shows that’s exactly what Wilson did. In addition to missing tons of throws, the struggling second-year QB also didn’t appear to know the playbook.
The Patriots’ offense may be a brutal slog to watch right now, but at least Mac Jones isn’t loathsome.
You take the victories where you can, such as when Wilson drops back to pass and doesn’t know where to throw the ball.
ESPN analyst and WEEI regular Dan Orlovsky tweeted a damning video clip of Wilson Monday morning with his own narration. In it, Orlovsky breaks down an incomplete pass from Wilson intended for wideout Denzel Mims that wasn’t close to being on target. At first, Orlovsky says he thought Mims was supposed to run an in-route, and mistakenly went deep for a post.
“I thought, ‘What is Denzel Mims at the bottom of the screen doing?,’ said Orlovsky. “You’ve gotten come flat on your in-route, Denzel Mims.”
The play was so disjointed, Orlovsky went back and took a second look. That’s when you noticed the other routes that Jets pass-catchers were running. The tight end went out for a short wheel route, and rookie wideout Garrett Wilson ran a shallow crosser. Notably, Elijah Moore ran his own in-route, crossing maybe five or six yards ahead of Wilson.
That’s when Orlovsky determined that Mims ran the right route. “Here’s an in-route by Elijah Moore,” said Orlovsky. “You would very rarely, if ever, run double ins into each other.”
Orlovsky, a former quarterback himself, also points out that Wilson makes the throw in rhythm. “You would never a big post on rhythm like that,” said Orlovsky. “There’s no way Zach thinks this is a big post and plays with this type of pace and rhythm on the play. I don’t think he knows what the play is.”
The telltale sign is Garrett Wilson's reaction: the Ohio State standout jumps up and down in disgust.
Wilson’s body language on the field matched his searing post-game commentary. “This s--- is sorry,” he said. “It starts in practice. It's got to be better, the things we see and don't call out. It has to start getting called out. This is unacceptable. No one wants to feel like this, but that's not enough. ... Hopefully, this is a wake-up for some people in the facility, people in the facility to get on their details.”
After listening to Orlovsky’s commentary, it’s not difficult to discern whom Garrett Wilson might be talking about.