- The New York Jets lost to the New England Patriots 10-3 on Sunday, their 14th straight loss to their divisional rival.
- After the game, quarterback Zach Wilson told reporters that he didn't feel as though he and the offense let their defense down.
Through 59 minutes of action, Sunday's game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets was a defensive slog. Tied 3-3, the AFC East divisional foes had traded 17 punts between them, with neither team ever really finding their rhythm on offense.
But just as the game appeared to be heading for overtime, one moment of brilliance put the Patriots on top.
After Jets punter Braden Mann delivered his 10th kick of the night, Patriots return man Marcus Jones found a gap, broke free, and shot for the end zone. The Patriots would win 10-3.
—NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2022
After the game, there was plenty of blame to go around for the Jets; however, quarterback Zach Wilson wasn't taking much of it.
Despite managing just three points and an abysmal 44 passing yards on just nine completions, Wilson didn't express a ton of disappointment in the offense.
"It was a frustrating day, of course," Wilson told reporters after the game. "I feel like I had some balls that got away from me. But we got to find ways on offense. We got to do some digging, watch the film, and see what we can do better."
Asked directly if he felt that he and the Jets offense had let their defense down, after holding the Patriots to just three points of offense for nearly the entire game, Wilson shut the conversation down.
"No, no," Wilson quickly replied.
—Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
But elsewhere in the Jets locker room, players more were open about how bad they had played on the field.
Rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who has played well for the Jets so far this year, was clearly disappointed with his showing.
"This shit's not okay," Wilson told reporters in the locker room. "How many total yards did we have? Yeah, this shit's not going to fly. We've got the dudes. It's time to be consistent. It's time to start winning the games we should win."
—Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Jets rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner was similarly frustrated.
"That's crazy," Gardner said of the loss. "That's like something that happens in a video game."
"The defense was ready to put everything on our shoulders, but unfortunately we didn't get there."
—Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Even head coach Robert Saleh was quick to admit his team had been lacking.
The very first question Saleh took during his press conference asked him to address his offense, which had put up just two yards of offense over seven possessions in the second half.
"It was dog shit," Saleh said.
And was there any point in the game where Saleh sensed that the Jets had found a spark of offense?
"At any point? No," Saleh said.
—Jets Videos (@snyjets) November 20, 2022
Wilson, who was the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has not been great for the Jets. When he talks about "some balls that got away" from him against the Patriots, this is what we're talking about.
—Brian Y (@byysports) November 20, 2022
While the Jets were rebuilding, Wilson's struggles were less noticeable — one player playing poorly doesn't exactly stand out when a whole team is working to find itself.
But the Jets have proven through the first half of the year that they have the pieces in place to compete. The defense is top 10 in the NFL, in both points and yards allowed, and the skill position players surrounding Wilson can score if given the chance.
It's up to Wilson to give them that chance, and two total yards in an entire half of football is not going to cut it for long.