Zach Wilson seems to be stumbling towards the dreaded “bust” label after another putrid performance on Thursday night, completing just 9 of 18 passes for 92 yards and an interception in an ugly 19-3 loss to the Jaguars.
Wilson was benched in the second half following loud and frequent boos every time a throw fell incomplete, and every time he trotted back to the sideline following a three-and-out. Of course, the Jets collectively were a disaster on Thursday, but the main focus from the fanbase was on Wilson.
Still, Robert Saleh made sure to point out that Wilson wasn’t the only one failing to rise to the occasion on a night when the Jets desperately needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“There’s a lot of things. Couldn’t get the run game going again, protection wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be, obviously there were a couple missed throws,” Saleh said. “It was collective. Coaching all the way down.”
As for Wilson, who has looked lost since returning to replace the injured Mike White, Saleh says he has actually seen improvement, even if it doesn’t show up at all on the stat sheet or to the naked eye.
“I feel like he has gotten better, but obviously we have to go show it on the football field,” Saleh said. “It’s a collective thing, starts with coaching. But either way, it wasn’t close enough to good enough today.
“Keep your head up. He’s gotta keep working. We haven’t seen the last of him. But right now, he’s just gotta focus on finding ways to get better, and we got to find ways to help him. We gotta find ways to protect better, run better, call the game better…it’s not just him.”
Asked if Wilson’s confidence is shot after being booed and benched in one night, Saleh agreed that Wilson’s pride has likely taken a hit, but believes he will pick himself up off the mat.
“Confidence is a big thing,” Saleh said. “I think as a man, you’re gonna have adversity in your life. You’re gonna have the ups and downs, and obviously, he’s in it right now. Zach is the type of kid that’s gonna work his tail off and keep his head down and find ways to continue to improve.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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