Wilson looks sharp, throws 2 TD passes in win
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Rookie Zach Wilson directed three scoring drives and threw his first two touchdown passes of the preseason in the New York Jets’ 23-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.
Wilson went 9 of 11 for 128 yards, including a pair of 18-yard scores to Tyler Kroft, to continue an encouraging preseason for the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Facing a Green Bay defense that rested most of its starters, Wilson led the Jets to two TDs and a field goal in his four series. The only Wilsonled drive that didn’t result in points came when the Jets opted to punt on fourth-and-1 from their 49-yard line.
This represented a clear step forward for Wilson, who went 6 of 9 for 63 yards last week in a 12-7 preseason victory over the New York Giants. In that game, Wilson operated two drives that produced three points.
Corey Davis caught four passes from Wilson for 70 yards. Davis signed a three-year contract with the Jets worth $37.5 million after spending his first four seasons with Tennessee.
The Packers didn’t play reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers or backup quarterback Jordan Love, who hurt his throwing shoulder last week while making his pro debut in a 26-7 preseason loss to the Houston
Texans.
That left Green Bay relying on Kurt Benkert, who made his first NFL start since the Atlanta Falcons’ fourth and final preseason game in 2018.
Benkert played all but the last
Packers series and went 18 of 25 for 151 yards with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jace Sternberger and an interception. He engineered a 19-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that lasted over 10 minutes.
The Packers had 32 players who weren’t in uniform for Saturday’s game, including nearly all their regulars. They had sat out 30 players in their preseason opener with Houston a week earlier.
One of the few regulars who played was linebacker Krys Barnes, who made a stop on third-and-1 to thwart a Jets drive.
The injuries continue piling up for the Jets, who held two joint practices with the Packers in Green Bay during the week leading up to Saturday’s exhibition game.
Defensive end Carl Lawson ruptured an Achilles tendon, and backup safety Zane Lewis injured a knee in Thursday’s practice, knocking both players out for the season. Backup offensive lineman Conor McDermott was carted off the field Saturday with a knee injury, and linebacker Jarrad Davis injured an ankle.
Jets backup quarterback Mike White left with a rib injury late in the third quarter.
Green Bay’s Kylin Hill, a rookie seventh-round pick from Mississippi State, moved closer to securing a spot on the roster as the Packers’ No. 3 running back. One week after turning a short completion into a 22-yard touchdown, Hill reached the end zone again on a 12-yard run. Hill is competing for the No. 3 running back spot with Patrick Taylor and Dexter Williams. Taylor lost a fumble in the third quarter.