EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson suffered perhaps the most humiliating game of his NFL career, as he was booed Thursday night at MetLife Stadium and replaced by former practice squad quarterback Chris Streveler in a 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"Yeah, it's [tough]," Wilson said of the booing fans. "I don't blame them. We have a passionate fan base, and they're here to watch us score touchdowns. We're not scoring touchdowns, we're not getting first downs, we're not moving the ball and, obviously, we can't throw the ball. Of course they're going to be frustrated."
Wilson completed only nine of 18 passes for 92 yards and an interception, which came on a desperation heave before halftime. He finished with a 5.2 QBR. It was the Jets' fourth straight loss, all but killing their playoff chances.
Coach Robert Saleh said he didn't consider benching Wilson at halftime even though they had only 66 total yards and trailed 13-3, but he removed him with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter. By then, it was 16-3. In came Streveler, who had been elevated from the practice squad only hours before the game. He immediately led the offense to its longest drive, although it didn't result in any points.
Saleh said he didn't bench Wilson, per se. He said he went to Streveler with hope that his running ability would spark their dormant ground game. While that might have been the initial reason for the change, Saleh let Streveler play for the remainder of the game, keeping Wilson, the 2021 second overall pick, on the bench.
Wilson was benched five weeks ago in favor of Mike White, a former fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys who sparked the offense. Thursday night, he was replaced by a journeyman whose claim to fame was three come-from-behind wins in the preseason."We were trying to change up to get the run game going," Saleh said. "I know Zach was struggling. Streveler came in, he ran a couple of plays, sparked the offense and got the explosive play. It snowballed in a good way for Strev. So we wanted to give him an opportunity to finish the drive. By the time we got it back, we decided we're already here, so let's go with Strev."
The Jets showed signs of life with Streveler, who rushed for 54 yards and completed 10 of 15 passes for 90 yards in his season debut.
Wilson remained on the sideline, ready to return to the game, but he never got the call. The rain-soaked crowd roared when Streveler came in, and the fans loved his gritty, improvisational style. The pregame plan was to use him with a small package of running plays, but they expanded his repertoire as the fourth quarter went on.
The Jets activated three quarterbacks for the first time, with Streveler and Joe Flacco backing up Wilson. Flacco saw no action.
Wilson said he had no issue with the third-quarter change.
"We had nothing there," he said of the offense. "You can't blame [Saleh] in that situation. He put Chris out there, and he's obviously great with his legs and his arm, and he was able to give us a little spark there. You could see that was the most we moved the ball all day, so you can't blame him."
It was the first time that Wilson was replaced in-game in a non-injury situation. On Nov. 23, he was benched for the first time in his life after a 77-yard passing day against the New England Patriots.
He seemed at a loss for words, admitting his confidence is shaken and saying he wasn't good enough for his teammates.
"Man, I don't know," he said. "I just felt like I didn't have any rhythm out there. [I was] just trying to find some confidence out there on the field, just find something to get us going -- a little spark. I couldn't get anything there, man.
"Yeah, it's tough and I'm working my way through it," Wilson added. "But I have to be optimistic here. I believe in myself, regardless if anyone else does."
Saleh said, "You'd be remiss if you didn't try to acknowledge the fact that there's a confidence thing there because when people are confident they can conquer the world. We have to help him and it starts with coaching."
Saleh declined to speculate on his Week 17 starter. Chances are, they will go back to White (fractured ribs), but he still hasn't been cleared for contact. If he's not cleared, the Jets will have a tough decision.
"We haven't seen the last of him," Saleh said of Wilson.
Jets HC Robert Saleh says 'we haven't seen the last of' Zach Wilson despite Thursday night benching
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was benched in favor of Chris Streveler near the end of the third quarter of New York's 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
It marked the latest disappointing chapter in the 2022 NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick's two-season tenure for the Jets, whose playoff hopes were dealt a massive blow with their fourth consecutive loss. Head coach Robert Saleh said after the game it won't be Wilson's last chapter with New York, despite a woeful performance drenched in boos that even the evening's steady downpour could not wash away.
"We haven't seen the last of him. But right now he's just got to focus on finding ways to get better, and we've got to find ways to help him," said Saleh, who would not name a starter for his team's Week 17 game against the Seattle Seahawks. "It's not just him, it's collective, and we've all got to find ways to get better."
Wilson was making his second straight start after he was previously replaced by QB Mike White for three weeks after a disappointing 10-3 loss to the Patriots in Week 11. But unfortunately, the second-year QB struggled throughout parts of three quarters, going 9 for 18 for 92 yards passing and an interception before the Jets decided to bring in Streveler after a three-and-out led to the team's fifth punt of the night.
It was Streveler's first game action of the season after being elevated from the practice squad for Thursday's game, but he provided a spark for a stagnant offense. The former CFL quarterback went 10 for 15 for 90 yards, also contributing 54 yards on the ground. In just his first drive under center, New York collected four first downs and 83 yards, both more than the Jets had in the seven previous possessions with Wilson at the helm. None of Streveler's three drives ended in points, but his numbers nevertheless were significantly better than Wilson's even with less playing time.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was benched in favor of Chris Streveler near the end of the third quarter of New York's 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was benched in favor of Chris Streveler near the end of the third quarter of New York's 19-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
"We haven't seen the last of him. But right now he's just got to focus on finding ways to get better, and we've got to find ways to help him," said Saleh, who would not name a starter for his team's Week 17 game against the Seattle Seahawks. "It's not just him, it's collective, and we've all got to find ways to get better."
Wilson was making his second straight start after he was previously replaced by QB Mike White for three weeks after a disappointing 10-3 loss to the Patriots in Week 11. But unfortunately, the second-year QB struggled throughout parts of three quarters, going 9 for 18 for 92 yards passing and an interception before the Jets decided to bring in Streveler after a three-and-out led to the team's fifth punt of the night.
Wilson was making his second straight start after he was previously replaced by QB Mike White for three weeks after a disappointing 10-3 loss to the Patriots in Week 11. But unfortunately, the second-year QB struggled throughout parts of three quarters, going 9 for 18 for 92 yards passing and an interception before the Jets decided to bring in Streveler after a three-and-out led to the team's fifth punt of the night.
When asked why he decided to make the QB change when he did, Saleh said it wasn't necessarily a reflection of Wilson's play, but more an attempt to kickstart the run game, which ended up working well enough to warrant keeping Streveler in and Wilson out.
"Obviously I know Zach was struggling, but Streveler came in, ran a couple of plays, sparked the offense, got the explosive play, and so it just snowballed in a good way, so we wanted to give him the opportunity to finish the drive," Saleh said. "By the time we got it back, again the same thing, we just said 'We're already here, let's just keep going with (Streveler).'"
Wilson said after the game that he fully understood the reasoning behind bringing in Streveler to get things moving, and knows that he has to "look myself in the mirror" and figure out what's not working and how he can fix it to give his team the best chance of succeeding.
"Right now the feeling is I just have to put my head down and just try and get better for these guys," Wilson said. "And that was kind of my message to them out there, was that I'm trying to give them everything I've got, and it's not good enough. I've got to put them in a better position."
Wilson was bombarded by boos from the Jets fans at every wrong turn on Thursday until he was pulled.
"I don't blame them, we have a passionate fanbase, and they're here to watch us score touchdowns, and we're not scoring touchdowns," Wilson said. "We're not getting first downs, we're not moving the ball, and we obviously can't throw the ball, so of course they're going to be frustrated."
Streveler's appearance made him the fourth Jets quarterback to play this season, and underscored the uncertainty at the position between Wilson's struggles and White's ribs injury. With only two weeks left in the season and the Jets on edge of the playoff picture, sorting things out at quarterback will be crucial in this final push for the postseason.
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2022 NFL season, Week 16: What We Learned from Jaguars' win over Jets on Thursday night
First-place Jaguars control their own playoff fate. With their win over the Jets, the Jaguars will be in first place and hold the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff picture if the Titans (with Malik Willis at QB) lose to the Texans on Saturday. At their Week 11 bye, the Jaguars were 3-7 -- and only one team, the 2020 Washington Football Team, started with that record and made the playoffs. The hay is not yet in the barn, of course, and the Jaguars still must face the Titans in Week 18. But all the momentum is building toward a feel-good ending to this season. It’s been said a million times, but Doug Pederson has been the perfect antidote to reseed the scorched earth left behind by Urban Meyer last season. If Pederson isn’t a top-three Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year candidate, what are we even doing with that award? Trevor Lawrence has looked mostly terrific this season, outside of some fumbling issues (including one early Thursday), and especially when you compare him to the quarterback drafted immediately after him in 2021.
Zach Wilson booed mercilessly by Jets fans, benched by coaches. The Jets coaches had seen enough, and with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, they pulled the plug on Zach Wilson. No, they didn’t bench Wilson for Mike White; he’s hurt. And not for Joe Flacco. But for CFL and NFL preseason legend Chris Streveler. The Jets actually started Streveler on Thursday -- at wide receiver -- in a funky personnel grouping and had a package of plays before taking over fully. Wilson was the quarterback to start, but he couldn’t even get through one offensive series before Jets fans booed him mercilessly. Every incomplete pass. Every penalty. Every punt. They were directed at the Jets’ offense as a whole in some cases, but the jeering felt so personally directed at Wilson – to the point where you wonder whether the guy will take another snap this season. (Or ever?) As soon as the coaches made the switch, Jets fans cheered as loudly for Streveler as they booed Wilson. This is a fascinating situation that almost certainly will leak into the offseason with Wilson’s future with the club suddenly murky.
Evan Engram enjoys his best game at the stadium he called home once. As a first-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2017 NFL Draft, Engram was billed as a hyper-athletic, new-age tight end. It didn’t work out that way with the Giants, as Engram was plagued by dropped passes, especially in his final two seasons there. The Jaguars grabbed him on a one-year, prove-it type of deal, and boy, has he done exactly that. The drops haven’t disappeared completely, but Engram has been a big weapon for Lawrence lately, catching 26 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns in the past three games. He’s now reached career highs in catches and receiving yards, and his 113-yard game against the Jets was his highest yardage total ever at MetLife Stadium -- the place he called home for five years and 32 games (prior to Thursday).
Jets’ QB situation puts even more pressure on Robert Saleh. Saleh came into this season with some pressure to perform after a 4-13 mark in Year 1, and he answered his critics during the Jets’ 7-4 start. Deftly navigating tough injuries and dealing with Wilson’s struggles only made that mark more impressive. But the Jets now have lost four straight, as the offense has hit the skids and the impressive defense has regressed a notch or two. It’s not as if the Jets hadn’t had hiccups on both sides of the ball prior to the losing streak, but they were finding ways to win. Now? Saleh’s hopes almost certainly rest on the shoulders of White, who was inactive Thursday and has not yet been cleared for contact after taking several big shots when he took over for Wilson. Perhaps Streveler, who gave the Jets a brief shot in the arm Thursday, is also in the mix. But this might be the flashpoint where Saleh’s Jets tenure could go either direction, up or down, from here on out. How he handles Wilson, White and this team in general this season -- even if the playoffs feel like a pipe dream -- could determine whether Saleh can sustain success. He can’t afford to lose the locker room, and seeing the body language of Garrett Wilson and others while Zach Wilson struggled again might be indicative of who other Jets players might support more at quarterback.
Trevor Lawrence’s running ability highlighted in win. It was a skill that sometimes was overlooked during Lawrence’s brilliant college career, but the kid can move. He’s a graceful runner for someone who stands 6-foot-6, and multiple times Thursday he used his legs off-script to turn sacks into positive yards and punish a slightly undisciplined Jets defense. Lawrence ran seven times for 51 yards and a fourth-down TD sneak to give the Jaguars the lead for good early in the second quarter. The 51 yards were Lawrence’s second-highest total of his season (and career). Over his past seven games, he’s rushed 29 times for 191 yards and two scores, adding another dimension to an already diverse and -- dare we say -- dangerous offense. The Jets repeatedly were caught off guard when Lawrence went on the move, and it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see Pederson fold in a few more chances for his QB to take off in upcoming games.
Next Gen stat of the game: On the opening drive, Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams forced his third turnover by pressure (tied for fourth most in NFL) on a strip-sack of Trevor Lawrence. Williams leads all defensive tackles with a 14.7% pressure rate this season (min. 200 pass rushes).
NFL Research: On Thursday, Travis Etienne became the fifth player in Jaguars franchise history to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for a season. The others: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Leonard Fournette and James Robinson, whom the Jaguars traded to the Jets earlier this season (Robinson was inactive Thursday).