Young Zach holds his own vs. the G.O.A.T.

There are positives within the 28-24 loss to the Buccaneers and it starts with the No. 2 overall pick. The Jets had the upset of the year in their palms. Then a failed fourth down gave the ball to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers snatched the victory with a 93-yard game winning drive.

That dropped the Jets to 4-12, but hello, Zach Wilson.

The kid looked good. There’s no arguing that. Wilson went 19-for-33 for 234 yards with one touchdown.

The game was slightly spoiled with the failed fourth down sneak call when Wilson was supposed to hand the ball off to Braxton Berrios. Some blame falls on the coaching staff for giving Wilson the option and not communicating well enough to hand it off to Berrios.

But some blame belongs to Wilson, too, because most QB sneaks can’t net two yards. Nonetheless, Wilson played as well as he could considering the circumstances.

Here are the offensive key contributors who were out on Sunday: Elijah Moore, Corey Davis, Jamison Crowder, Tyler Kroft, Ryan Griffin and Connor McGovern. Then to add more salt to the wound, Michael Carter, Dan Brown and George Fant all suffered injuries during the game.

Wilson was basically out there with mostly backups and still played well.

Most of Wilson’s production came because he was extremely decisive and read the defensive coverages well pre-snap and picked it apart.

The former BYU standout went 19-for-30 for 234 yards and a touchdown. Wilson’s average time to throw was 2.38. That means when he trusted what his eyes told him, he let it rip.

“The main goal today was just feeling space,” Wilson said. “These guys do a really good job of giving you a one-high shell and then all of a sudden turning it into a two-look, rolling, bringing the corner down. They obviously bring a lot of pressure. Different things like that. So, for me, it was where can I feel space, and then just go through my reads and progressions and just get our playmakers the ball. How efficient can I be going through the reads?”

Wilson cooked and finished his fourth game in a row without an interception. That’s progress.

Before the game, the focus should have centered on the young building blocks that the Jets have as they work toward being a contender. It started with Wilson and he showed flashes.

If the Jets pick up that fourth-and-two, they’re 5-11 and shock the NFL world. They didn’t, but that doesn’t take away from Wilson’s day and the other young talent.