The Jets had yet another poor outing yesterday against the Raiders, leaving them with a negative record of 4-5 this season. The Green Gang is showing signs of wear and tear after hitting mid-season, with Zach Wilson still being their starting signal caller while Aaron Rodgers continues to grace the sidelines.
Advertisement
The Jets brought Aaron Rodgers to finally end their playoff drought and take the young QB Wilson under his wings. While the playoff dreams have become uncertain, A-Rod continues to mentor Zach from the sidelines. However, his efforts haven’t borne any fruit, as the team suffered two straight losses, with another mediocre showing from the 2021 2nd-round pick.
Zach Wilson, who has thrown just 1 interception in the last 4 matches, threw one against the Raiders in the crucial moment when the Jets were trailing by 12-16 with just under a minute left in the 4th quarter. The fate of the matchup had been sealed at that moment, and it took Wilson’s interceptions this season to 6.
Aaron Rodgers Didn’t Hide His Reaction to Wilson’s Pick
Rodgers, who was motivating and mentoring the team from the sidelines as he continues to recover, wasn’t pleased with Wilson’s last-minute interception. A-Rod looked away with displeasure after Zach threw the ball toward Allen Lazard in the heavy coverage, only to be picked off by Robert Spillane, forcing a turnover.
“The big mistake at the big moment happens again.”
Mike Tirico on the call as Raiders LB Robert Spillane intercepted Zach Wilson as the Jets were driving for a potential go-ahead touchdown.
It was Wilson’s first interception in 151 passes. pic.twitter.com/hAlSGNHyQU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 13, 2023
The matchup almost ended after Zach Wilson threw the interception, with just a little more than a minute left in the fourth quarter. Though it was his first pick in 151 passes, the timing of the pick couldn’t be any worse. And these words by the announcer sums up Wilson’s season and his three years in the NFL so far.
“Zach Wilson throws into the traffic and it’s picked off by Robert Spillane. And the big mistake at the big moment happens again. Same old, same old for Zach Wilson,” said Mike Tirico.
Nevertheless, the match didn’t end with Zach’s turnover. The Jets got another minute at redemption after the Raiders turned the ball on downs, but unfortunately couldn’t turn the last drive of the match into a TD. This was also the second consecutive match in which the Jets failed to score a touchdown despite going so close to the red zone.
Notably, the Jets have scored 50% of their points this season through field goals. Zach and the Jets’ offense’s failure to convert the good drives into 6-pointers has cost them matches this season, and Robert Saleh agrees with the assessment that this has been their story of the season and sheds light on it during the post-match press conference. Speaking to a reporter, he said,
“What’s frustrating is the different ways we are creating to not get into the end zone. We’re driving the ball well but we knock ourselves into non-advantageous where we are 2nd in 20. It just happened over and over again, Saleh said. We are generating the offense and moving the ball but again we’re not finishing our drives.”
Coach Saleh on the offense moving the ball, but being unable to finish drives with touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/Qn3q9WBicZ
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 13, 2023
The Green Gang fell to 4-5, and their season of close yet disappointing continues. Wilson, who continues to have the unwavering support of Coach Saleh and the franchise, has had more interceptions this season than TDs. The Jets take on the Buffalo Bills next week on November 20th for the Sunday Night Football.
