The New York Jets and third-year quarterback Zach Wilson have had a ton of controversy surrounding them heading into their Week 14 game against the Houston Texans. And surprisingly, Wilson played his best game of the season.
The controversy surrounding Wilson stemmed from reports earlier this week that he was not interested in returning as the team’s starting quarterback.
Wilson refuted these reports and ended up starting for the team on Sunday. But regardless, many Jets fans understandably had a gripe with Wilson over these allegations.
When it came time to put up or shut up for Wilson on Sunday, he let his performance on the field do the talking for him.
Wilson silenced his critics, playing spectacularly and outdueling Rookie of the Year contender C.J. Stroud of the Texans. Wilson ended up throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75 percent of his passes en route to a dominant 30-6 victory for the Jets.
FINAL: 300+ yards & 2 TDs from Zach Wilson in a @nyjets Week 14 win! #HOUvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/ZyE16fFsnE
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023
It was a performance that garnered praise from a number of his teammates after the game.
“I mean, he balled man, he balled,” said Jets star receiver Garrett Wilson. “He put it all out there throwing dots in the rain. As far as what we were trying to do, Zach (Wilson) handled it. It’s great to see him just go out there and hoop.”
Garrett Wilson says that Zach Wilson "balled" today:
"Zach went crazy today." pic.twitter.com/W0X68kFT0X
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 10, 2023
“He was confident,” said Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner. “You can just tell he was playing for the man next to him. He was playing for his brothers. I earned even more respect for him. He took a lot of chances today and had a lot of faith in his guys. He was giving them chances to make plays on the ball.”
Sauce Gardner comments on Zach Wilson's play from today:
"He's confident. You can just tell he was playing for the man next to him. He was playing for his brothers." pic.twitter.com/hNfdiuSFh7
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 10, 2023
Fans at home echoed these sentiments on social media, praising Wilson for his terrific play.
So happy for Zach Wilson man. He has faced a lot of adversity in his young career and he BALLED OUT today. Showing why Cougar Nation loves him! pic.twitter.com/pWjyYVrwbm
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 10, 2023
Zach Wilson in this 2nd half pic.twitter.com/sFJ1ZcrKhm
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 10, 2023
Zach Wilson pro day throw pic.twitter.com/4MZqTtNsjY
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) December 10, 2023
Weird what Zach Wilson looks like when he’s not handcuffed and babied on a consistent basis
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 10, 2023
Zach Wilson is BALLING today…better believe he’s getting a breakdown this week on my YouTube channel pic.twitter.com/vQyK1p3Crs
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) December 10, 2023
This performance shows that he is capable of producing at the NFL level, something that many critics said wasn’t possible. His issue has always been consistency. Only time will tell if he can start to play like this on a more consistent basis moving forward.
For the time being, you have to feel good for a guy like Wilson who has gone through so much during his time with the Jets.
