The Jet’s offense has been led by veteran, Joe Flacco, to start the season. Second-year quarterback, Zach Wilson, suffered a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee in the preseason opener. However, things are changing in week four as Wilson has been cleared to play and was named starting quarterback for the Jet’s week four matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jets’ Offense Without Wilson
The Jets have started out the season 1-2 under Flacco. Although he ranked in the bottom half of the league in completion percentage (58.7%), Flacco ranks sixth in passing yards (901). Although he hasn’t been stellar under center, throwing five touchdowns along with three interceptions, he has held his own and helped the team avoid an 0-3 start like last year.
With a tandem in the backfield of Michael Carter and Breece Hall, the Jets have been able to keep fresh legs on the field. They both have very similar numbers in both the rushing and receiving games. Carter has tallied 122 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards on 13 receptions. On the other hand, Hall has 112 rushing yards to go along with 101 receiving yards on 13 receptions. However, the team hasn’t been able to get into the endzone on the ground through the first three weeks.
Wilson is the Future
With Wilson back at the helm, it is unsure whether he will need time to knock the rust off or if he will be able to make an immediate impact. He didn’t have an illustrious rookie season, throwing more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (9). But the Jets hope he can take that next step forward in his second season in the league.
It will help that Wilson will go up against a Pittsburgh defense that has looked very underwhelming besides in their week one matchup with the Bengals. Jets head coach, Robert Saleh, seemed optimistic about Wilson’s return, stating, “He looks good. He’s getting comfortable standing behind an offensive line again.”
With Wilson at the helm, the Jets will add to the speed on offense and have a more mobile quarterback who will open up more options for the team.
Wilson’s debut will come tomorrow at 1 PM in Pittsburgh. So, we will see if he can lead the Jets, underdogs, to a win in his first game of the season.