Even with Aaron Rodgers being lost for an extended period of time, there was reason for optimism for Jets fans heading into a Week 2 road matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys. After all, quarterback Zach Wilson helped Gang Green beat the Bills in Week 1, right?
Unfortunately, Wilson and Co. couldn’t overcome the Cowboys’ defense on Sunday in Arlington. The third-year signal-caller was pressured often throughout the game. He handled it quite well in the first half. It included this 68-yard touchdown toss to Garrett Wilson:
The Wilsons got it done… Zach to Garrett for 68 yards to the house! #TakeFlight #NYJvsDAL pic.twitter.com/Fc2S9adqXj
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) September 17, 2023
Unfortunately, things began to unravel in the second half. Dallas went into the locker room with an 18-10 lead. They finished the game by piling up 12 more points and pitching a second-half shutout.
The overall results for Wilson? Not good. After tossing that touchdown to Garrett, he threw three interceptions and had a hard time dealing with the pressure. This X post from SNY’s Connor Hughes pretty much says it all:
Zach Wilson's third interception of the day. He threw this one to Diggs.
Wilson is now 12 of 27 (44.4%) passing for 170 yards with a TD and 3 INTs. He has a QB rating of 38.1. He's been pressured on 53.3% of his drop backs.
The #Cowboys have sacked the #Jets QB three times.…
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) September 17, 2023
Hughes also mentioned the Cowboys’ defense landed five hits on Wilson.
Of course, it’s not like the passing game was the only thing not working. The defense allowed 30 points while Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, and Michael Carter combined for just 24 yards rushing on 10 attempts. None of them registered double-digit rushing yards. The Jets’ leading rusher on the day was Zach Wilson (36 yards on five attempts).
This obviously wasn’t fun to watch. Wilson made some rather poor decisions, especially in the second half, but this was far from solely his fault.
The worst thing about this loss, though, is it feels way too familiar. It’s like last year all over again. Only now, we can be reminded that Rodgers is on the sideline rehabbing from his Achilles tendon surgery. Instead of wishing there was a better option available, the Jets had one before the Football Gods ripped him away.
Gang Green now has to pick up the pieces and get ready for Week 3. It’ll be a 1p home game at MetLife Stadium against the New England Patriots. Let’s hope New York can bust its way-too-long losing streak to them finally.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
