The New York Jets faced off against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night in a game that came down to the wire. And a costly interception from Zach Wilson when it mattered most ended up sealing the Jets’ fate.
Like the large majority of Jets games this season, this game was a defensive battle. Both teams showed some pretty stagnant offense, particularly when in the red zone.
Wilson and the Jets offense finally began to show signs of life down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Trailing by four points, it looked like Wilson and the Jets would potentially take the lead, reaching the red zone with just 1:25 left in the game.
Instead, Wilson made the biggest mistake of the night, throwing an interception on a pass intended for Allen Lazard.
NBC’s Mike Tirico accurately described this mistake that has encapsulated Wilson’s whole season on the call of the game.
“The big mistake at the big moment happens again.”
"The big mistake at the big moment happens again."
Mike Tirico on the call as Raiders LB Robert Spillane intercepts 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 turnover bug has been a big issue for Wilson this season. This latest interception marks the fifth interception of the year. That may not seem like too many but when you add in eight fumbles on the year, you have a bad turnover problem on your hands.
Fans watching the game weren’t exactly shocked that Wilson and the Jets offense came up short down the stretch of this game.
You just knew that drive was just too many plays for Zach Wilson
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) November 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/bobano/status/1723917859896668658
"Zach Wilson might lead a comeback."
Zach Wilson: pic.twitter.com/lN8na1P1uZ
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) November 13, 2023
ZACH WILSON THROWS A BRUTAL PICK WITH THE GAME ON THE LINEpic.twitter.com/WIjWCvaEfy
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) November 13, 2023
Zach Wilson blows the game. Terrible int pic.twitter.com/7Y9LPpuWKe
— Rique (@CoolidgeRique) November 13, 2023
Even after this interception, the Jets still had a chance to win this game. Their defense was able to force the three-and-out from the Raiders on their following possession, giving them the ball with just under a minute left in the game.
Wilson got his team one last chance on a Hail Mary attempt into the end zone as time expired. But they would come up empty on the play despite Wilson giving his receivers in the end zone a chance to make a play with a solid throw.
The Jets get one final chance. But Zach Wilson's Hail Mary gets knocked down and the Raiders win.
Garrett Wilson gave it a good effort. pic.twitter.com/lX2Ub5IaOp
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) November 13, 2023
Credit to Wilson for giving the team one last chance to win at the end. But the game was essentially lost once he threw the costly interception on their previous drive.
Wilson spoke about the interception after the game, where he stated that he has “gotta be better” for his teammates in that situation.
“Yeah, I have to be better there,” said Wilson via SNY Jets on Twitter. “I tried to beat him with the ball. He made an unbelievable play. But I have to see that. And it hurts because we made some harder plays to get there. To throw an interception to lose the game sucks. I gotta be better there for the guys, for the team, everyone battling. You gotta take care of the football.”
"To throw an interception to lose a game sucks, I hate that. I gotta be better for the guys, for the team, everyone battling."
Zach Wilson talks about what he saw on his late interception: pic.twitter.com/ggoWhiQToB
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 13, 2023
With this loss, the Jets fall to 4-5 on the season. And it appears to be increasingly obvious to everyone except the Jets organization that Wilson may not be the future quarterback of the team moving forward.
[Awful Announcing on Twitter, Photo Credit: NBC]
