After a win, Wilson wants to be better
Jets’ QB knows victory could have come easier
Zach Wilson knew he could have done better. And he knows his first NFL victory should have come a lot easier.
Sure, he was happy after the New York Jets’ 27-24 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. But the rookie quarterback spent a good chunk of the postgame celebration focused on his mistakes.
“The kid was outstanding,” coach Robert Saleh said shortly after the win. “There are still things that he knows he can clean up. He had a chance to end it in overtime, but the guy was resilient. He had resolve and he’s a playmaker.”
Wilson drove the Jets deep into Tennessee territory in overtime and had a good feeling.
“We did the hardest thing,” Wilson said. “Getting the ball down to the 1-yard line is the hardest part. We did an awesome job as an offense doing that and I told the guys in the huddle when we were on the 5-, 6-yard line: ‘A field goal is not an option here.’ ” It became the only option. On first-and-goal from the 9, Wilson bounced a throw to Ryan Griffin, who probably would’ve had a clear path into the end zone if the ball had reached him.
“I’ve got to be able to come through, make a good throw,” Wilson said. “We called the right play, I threw a ball at (Griffin’s) feet. I’m going to learn from that. It’s awesome we came away with a win because I was beating myself up for that.”
After Tevin Coleman nearly scored taking a short toss from Wilson on second down, the quarterback rolled right and couldn’t find anyone open — or space to run. Instead of throwing it away, he was pushed out of bounds for a 3-yard loss.
Rather than go for it, Saleh opted for Matt Ammendola’s 22-yard field goal. Wilson and the Jets then crossed their fingers a few minutes later as Randy Bullock missed a potential tying 49-yarder.
The fact Wilson was critical of his play rather than reveling in the celebration said a lot. Maybe even more than the eye-popping plays on the field.