Zach Wilson Season Review

The 2021 season for the New York Jets has been a great learning experience for both the rookie coaching staff and an incredibly young Jets roster. Throughout the rocky season, we have been given some hope for the future, as rookie QB Zach Wilson showed great improvement throughout the second half of the season.

After suffering a PCL injury against the Patriots in week 7, Wilson was sidelined for 4 weeks, being able to observe the game in a whole new aspect. Backup QB’s such as Mike White, Josh Johnson, and Joe Flacco took over the starting job for Wilson. Through the first 7 weeks of the season, Wilson threw for 1,168 passing yards (104/181), 4 TDs, and 9 INTs. In the first half of the season, the Jets were still struggling to find their identity on both offense and defense.

In the second half of the season, Wilson seemed to come back a more comfortable and composed QB than what we saw the first 7 weeks of the season. Once returning from injury, Wilson threw for 1,166 passing yards (109/202), 9 total TDs (4 rushing), and 2 INTs. He had thrown more passes since his return from injury when compared to the first half of the season. His interceptions dropped from 9 to 2, ending the season with 156 consecutive throws without an interception. His offense's TD drive rate went from 11.8% to 17.6%, as his passer rating also shot up from 63.5 to 75.2 (newyorkjets.com).

Fun fact, Wilson was the league's top rushing Quarterback this season with 6.38 yards per carry (newyorkjets.com). It was frustrating to see Wilson hesitant to tuck the ball and run during the first few weeks, but eventually adapted after some valuable experience. Luckily as he got more comfortable in the offense, he was able to show off his athleticism as a dual-threat QB. For the 2021 season, Wilson threw for 2,334 yards, 9 TDs, 4 rushing TDs, and 11 INTs. Zach Wilson's improvement through the second half of the season gives Jets fans a little boost of confidence heading into the offseason.

Arguably his best performance this season came against the Philadelphia Eagles in a week 13 matchup. Wilson had thrown for 226 yards (23/38), 2 TDs, 1 rushing TD, and 1 INT. It was a game where we finally got to see the Jet's offense go through their offensive game plan and see how the youngest team in the league functions. Tevin Coleman had a busy day himself with 11 carries for 58 yards, being able to help open up the field more for Wilson. The Jets need to focus this offseason on giving Wilson the tools to be successful, as well as hopefully having another successful draft this year. It is safe to say that Jets fans are cautiously optimistic going into next season. As long as we can continue to give Wilson the support he needs, the sky's the limit for the youngest team in the NFL.

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