Zach Wilson is Beefing With the Jets Media Ahead of a Rematch With a Patriots Defense That Owns Him

I don't see how anyone can have an issue with the way Zach Wilson handled this question about his "emotions" after the Patriots game three weeks ago. First because how would anyone expect him to react to throwing three picks while completing less than 50% of his passes? Was he supposed to go over to the hashmarks and do the Tom Hanks keyboard dance from Big? If he wasn't visibly frustrated after the Patriots pass rush dismantled him down to the molecular level, they'd be killing him worse than this. And second, because in any chippy exchange between a second year quarterback and the jackals in the New York media, you're going to naturally side with the kid over the toner-stained wretches every time. 

Besides, the bigger issue isn't Wilson's feelings, for crying out loud. Which is such a 2020s approach to covering an athlete, anyway. Call me set in my ways, but I long for the days when say, Ken Stabler would drag his battered body off the field covered in mud and blood, and everybody respected that his needs weren't so much emotional as they were whiskey, a few percs, some lung darts, and a couple of Stanford coeds with their panties thumbtacked to his hotel wall. Say "OK, Boomer" all you want. But those were simpler times. 

The real issue shouldn't be Wilson's Emotional IQ. It's those much more measurable and relevant metrics involving the Patriots defense. Because more than any team he's faced in his short career, New England plays him like they've got the Cheat Codes. Although this being the Patriots, I probably shouldn't even use that term jokingly, or it will cost them draft picks. But it is accurate:

And while there are several reasons for those picks, including though not limited to, disguising coverages, mixing in fronts and looks Wilson is not used to, changing up the scheme game to game, and simply pure talent, there has been one overriding factor: 

Wilson is uniquely bad when being pressured. The Patriots front is among the best at generating it. That's a brutal combination of factors for the Jets. 

And it's not just from blitzing. As a matter of fact, according to Pro Football Focus, in the last meeting, Wilson dropped back 43 times, and Steve Belichick sent extra rushers just 14 times. That's less than one-third of his passing snaps. Yet the pressured him 18 times. During which he completed just 25% of his passes, threw all three of his interceptions (and one touchdown), had a yards per attempt of 5.4, and a passer rating of 31.0. 

On the season, among QBs with 65 or more total dropbacks, he's 39th in passer rating when pressured, with 6.6. Note that those are not typos. That's 39th. And 6.6. 

For his career against New England, his numbers are worse practically across the board:

W-L: 0-3, 45-for-84, 53.57%, 2 TDs, 7 INTs, 50.5 passer rating

Than against the rest of the NFL:

W-L: 8-8, 264-for-466, 56.65%, 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 71.4 passer rating (includes NE).

By the same token, 7 of his career 56 sacks, or 12.5% taken have come in the three games against the Patriots. Whose pass defense has the fifth lowest passer rating against in the NFL at 75.7. And despite having only played nine games, is second in the league in sacks, second in sack %, second in pressures, first in pressure %, and fourth in interceptions. 

All of which would simply be me dunking on the Jets if this were any other season. It obviously isn't. As we're almost to Thanksgiving and the Patriots are in the bizarre position of looking up at the Jets' undercarriage in the AFC East orgy:

So for them, making Zach Wilson play like he's played against them so far is mission critical. Win, and they leapfrog the Jets in the playoff race. Lose, and they're a .500 team facing the toughest remaining schedule in the league. You could say that puts pressure on them. But this weekend is all about applying pressure. To a guy who has yet to show he can handle it. Just kick the damned ball off already.