Bill Belichick remains a nightmare for rookie QBs in Jets’ loss to Patriots

It wasn’t an ideal day for Zach Wilson or the Jets, who lost their home opener to the Patriots Sunday afternoon.

For the first time, Zach Wilson took part in a regular-season game at MetLife Stadium Sunday.

Unfortunately, Bill Belichick was on the opposite sideline while he did so.

The legendary Patriots head coach has a reputation for being a nightmare for rookie quarterbacks, and it certainly held up in a 25-6 victory over the Jets.

New England attempted to pressure Wilson and did a great job taking his No. 1 receiver, Corey Davis, out of the game.

This all led to the first-year signal-caller throwing four interceptions — yes, four — and succumbing to the boo-birds of the Jets crowd, the first at a regular-season home game since 2019.

Davis, who New York inked to a three-year deal back in March, caught just two balls for eight yards after reeling in five receptions for 97 yards and two scores against Carolina in Week 1.

The consistently superb coverage on Gang Green’s top wideout forced Wilson to look to alternative targets such as rookie Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios. The former finished with four receptions and 47 yards while the latter caught six balls for 61 yards.

Wilson ended up completing 18 of 32 passes for 198 yards, no scores, and the four picks, proving yet again how daunting of a task it is to face a Bill Belichick defense.

Jets fans should be glad Zach got his first experience against the Pats head coach out of the way early; supporters should also hope he doesn’t repeat this type of dreadful performance when the Jets play New England in Foxborough next month (Sunday, Oct. 24, 1:00 p.m. ET).

Defensive Performance

The Jets defense was strong in the second half against Carolina last week, only allowing three points in the final two quarters after letting up 16 in the first two.

This unit, yet again, impressed against New England.

While the Patriots put up 25 total points, they crossed the plane just twice, and both touchdowns came off of picks thrown by Wilson. The second score was set up by the rookie’s fourth interception — veteran defensive back Devin McCourty picked off the pass and brought it back to the Jets’ 35-yard line.

The rest of New England’s points came via four successful field-goal attempts from placekicker Nick Folk.

Overall, New York kept the Patriots’ own rookie quarterback, Mac Jones, in check. The Alabama product finished with just 186 yards on 22-of-30 passing.

New England also struggled to convert on third down, finishing 3-for-12 in that department.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter at @RyanHoneyESNY

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