New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson returned from the bench in Week 15 but, that didn't last long. Incredibly, he was benched once again on Thursday night. Although the Jets were confident he would play to his full potential against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they benched him in the third quarter with a 16-3 deficit.
Former New York corner Darrelle Revis tweeted on Thursday night. He believes that the Jets quarterback has lost the support of the fanbase. He said that the likelihood of him regaining that trust would be hard, but not necessarily impossible. Revis then went on to say that he witnessed the same reaction from the fanbase when Brett Favre was their quarterback:
"Zach Wilson has lost the trust of the Jet fanbase. I'm not saying it’s impossible. It will be very hard to regain their trust again. I witnessed these same boos when Brett Farve was under center."
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As Al Michaels said during Thursday night's primetime matchup, Jets fans haven't been in the playoffs in 11 years. They are clearly losing their patience with the second-year quarterback. Wilson received loud boos from the home crowd throughout the second quarter of the game against the Jaguars.
Jets QB Zach Wilson reacts to being benched yet again
The New York Jets selected quarterback Zach Wilson as the second overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. The team believed that they had finally found their franchise quarterback and that by building around him, they would end their decade-long playoff drought.
The Jets showed a lot of promise and up until this week controlled their own playoff destiny. Wilson was benched in Week 12 of the season and replaced by backup Mike White. White remained the starter for the next few weeks until he suffered a serious rib injury in Week 14. Wilson was announced as the starter again in Week 15, but his performance on Thursday night cost him the starting role.
After the game, Zach Wilson talked about his performance and took accountability for not playing well. He said that the inability to get the ball down the field started with him and that he needed to watch the tape of the game and figure out what the problem was:
“Yeah, it is hard. And that’s when I’ve got to look myself in the mirror. I’ve got to go back and I’ve got to go back and watch this tape. You’ve got to be hard. You’ve got to be hard on yourself. You just say, ‘Why are we not moving the ball?’ And that starts with me. What am I doing that I have to help this team to be in a better position to move the ball? Whatever it is, I’ve got to figure it out.”
While his performance on the field hasn't shown much improvement, his accountability has improved. There is no word yet on what the Jets' quarterback decision will be next week, but it doesn't feel like Zach Wilson will be their starter.
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