Garrett Wilson

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Garrett Wilson
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Fans Rip Zach Wilson as Jets Lose to Dak Prescott, Cowboys with Aaron Rodgers Injured

Sep 17, 2023
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is sacked by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons during the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is sacked by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons during the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Aaron Rodgers notoriously gave the Dallas Cowboys fits during his time with the Green Bay Packers.

Zach Wilson, well... not so much.

The third-year quarterback struggled mightily in his first start of the 2023 season in relief of Rodgers, finishing 12-of-27 for 170 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions as the New York Jets were blown out on Sunday against the Cowboys, 30-10.

Wilson's offensive line didn't help his cause, as Micah Parsons and the Cowboys front seven harassed and hurried him the entire game. While Wilson was only sacked three times and escaped the pressure to rush for a team-leading 36 yards, he was never comfortable in this contest.

And NFL fans and pundits alike on social media were quick to point out his struggles:

He was hardly alone in his struggles.

The run game didn't do Wilson any favors, only the rest of the Jets only accounted for 28 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Neither did a defense that gave up 382 yards and 30 points. The Cowboys completely controlled this game, holding the ball for 42 minutes and 15 seconds to just 17 minutes and 45 seconds of possession for the Jets.

Wilson had two very nice moments in this game. The first came on a 68-yard strike to Garrett Wilson:

The second was on the final drive of the second half, when he escaped the Cowboys rush several times and ran four times for 36 yards, setting the team up for a field goal that cut the halftime deficit to 18-10.

But it was all Dallas from there, as Wilson threw all three of his interceptions in the fourth quarter, trying to lead the Jets to a comeback.

It wasn't to be. It was never even close to being. It was, in a word, ugly.

It should be noted that the Cowboys are a very good team and, even with Rodgers, beating Dallas on the road would have been a tall task. The Jets had two very tough opponents to start the season, and coming out with a split isn't a bad start to the season.

But Wilson's play inspired zero confidence on Sunday. The Jets have a lot of questions to answer after Sunday's embarrassing loss, but none are bigger than the uncertainty they currently have at quarterback.

Garrett Wilson Defends Zach Wilson, Supports Jets QB After Aaron Rodgers' Injury

Sep 15, 2023
FOXBOROUGH, MA - NOVEMBER 20: New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (17) takes the ball from New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on November 20, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - NOVEMBER 20: New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (17) takes the ball from New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on November 20, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson is voicing his belief in Zach Wilson as the third-year quarterback will return to a starting role with Aaron Rodgers out for the season.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's practice, Garrett Wilson explained it's important for him and the rest of the team to vocalize their support for Zach Wilson "because of the effect" that positive reinforcement can have on people:

"Belief, people believing in you, people that you get to work with every day believing in you. Sometimes it can seem like the world is against you, but it's never really the case. We always got our guy's back. It can be tough playing ball, especially playing quarterback, in this part of the world. Because of that, and all the other things, we always want to make sure we got our brother's back. If he doesn't know that, then I'm doing my job wrong. I want to make sure I give him all the empowerment in the world, and I know all the other guys feel the same about it."

Rodgers' season came to an end just four snaps into his first game with the Jets. The four-time NFL MVP suffered a torn Achilles when he was sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd and had successful surgery on Thursday.

The injury thrust Zach Wilson back into the spotlight two years after he was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He was replaced by Rodgers after throwing for 4,022 yards, 15 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 22 starts over the past two seasons.

Zach's first attempt at a fresh start wasn't wholly inspiring. The 24-year-old went 14-of-21 for 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Bills. New York was able to win the game 22-16 in overtime on Xavier Gipson's walk-off punt return.

Head coach Robert Saleh, who has said they will move forward with Wilson as their starting quarterback, pushed back on fans and analysts trying to bury them in the wake of Rodgers' injury.

"I don't know why people are trying to put an obituary onto our team name," Saleh told reporters on Tuesday. "Aaron is an unbelievable piece to this whole thing and we love him, but I think there's 52 other guys in the locker room plus the 16 practice squad guys that believe that we can do a hell of a lot of good things here."

It's not impossible for the Jets to succeed with Wilson as their quarterback. They were 7-4 after 11 games last season with Wilson and Joe Flacco starting games.

Any Super Bowl aspirations for the Jets will depend on Wilson—or another quarterback from outside of the organization—being able to elevate the offense to a higher level than it was in 2022 when they finished with the fourth-fewest points per game in the NFL.

Having Garrett Wilson does make life easier on the quarterback. His circus catch on Zach Wilson's touchdown pass in the fourth quarter tied the game at 13. The 23-year-old was named Offensive Rookie of the Year last season after racking up 1,103 yards despite the erratic quarterback play around him.

Jets' Garrett Wilson: Aaron Rodgers Apologized to Me After Suffering Achilles Injury

Sep 13, 2023
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson #17 of the New York Jets warms up before the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson #17 of the New York Jets warms up before the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury impacted the entire New York Jets offense, but perhaps none more than Garrett Wilson.

The second-year wide receiver was primed for a breakout season with Rodgers under center, and the four-time MVP quarterback apologized to Wilson after tearing his Achilles on the team's first drive of a Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills.

"At halftime I just went in to check on him in the training room and just make sure I gave him a hug and told him I love him," Wilson said on 98.7 FM ESPN New York. "It really hurt my heart. He told me 'sorry, kid' and said he loved me back and that was it. Just truly heartbroken."

Wilson and Rodgers had spent much of the offseason developing a connection through training camp and the preseason. The wideout will now be catching passes from Zach Wilson.

With Rodgers sidelined for nearly all of Monday's win over the Bills, Wilson caught five passes for 34 yards and a touchdown, making an improbable one-handed grab on a poor pass for the score.

Wilson, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, spent his rookie year catching passes from a combination of Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco. He finished the year with 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh made it clear on Tuesday that Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, would be the team's starting quarterback moving forward despite a rough start to his career in 2021 and 2022.

"I want to make it very clear, Zach's our quarterback," Saleh told reporters. "We have a lot of faith in Zach. We're rolling with Zach and excited for him."

And while Saleh confirmed the team would look into quarterbacks to add to the roster, he said no one they add will challenge the third-year signal-caller for the starting job.

"Under no circumstances is any of this a competition," Saleh said. "This is Zach's team and we're rolling with Zach."

The BYU product completed 14 of 21 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown against one interception in a 22-16 overtime win against the Bills in Week 1. He's going to have to be far better moving forward if New York hopes to finish the year with a winning record.

Gang Green's acquisition of Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers during the offseason boosted the team's championship aspirations mightily, but with Wilson back under center, those expectations have softened considerably.

The Jets will take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Jets' Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall Fantasy Outlook After Aaron Rodgers Injury

Sep 12, 2023
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson #17 of the New York Jets reacts during the fourth quarter of the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Garrett Wilson #17 of the New York Jets reacts during the fourth quarter of the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Fantasy football managers might be shorting their Garrett Wilson stock in the wake of Aaron Rodgers' injury in the New York Jets' 22-16 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills.

The full extent of Rodgers' injury is unclear, but head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after the game the team believes it may be an Achilles problem and "not good." A torn Achilles would in all likelihood end the four-time MVP's season after four snaps.

Rodgers' prolonged absence is bound to have an impact on Wilson's production moving forward. Another star from New York's offense, Breece Hall, could be trending in the opposite direction, however.

Garrett Wilson

The sky isn't falling when it comes to Wilson's fantasy value.

With Zach Wilson playing the majority of the game, the second-year wideout had five receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown on five targets. The TD grab in the fourth quarter salvaged what was an otherwise nondescript night.

It's important to keep things in perspective. Wilson is the same player who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie despite the Jets' generally erratic play at quarterback. Now into Year 2, the ball skills clearly haven't gone anywhere.

Even assuming Zach Wilson gets elevated to the starting role, the 23-year-old should continue to be a low-end WR1/WR2 in standard scoring leagues.

You might be out of luck, though, if you reached a bit on Wilson in the hope he was headed toward a monster campaign thanks to Rodgers' arrival.

Breece Hall

Hall, on the other hand, could exceed his fantasy expectations given what he delivered his first game back after suffering a torn ACL in 2022.

The second-year running back went for 127 yards on 10 carries and caught one pass for 20 yards. The bulk of his rushing output came on an 83-yard scamper in the second quarter.

Beyond just the raw numbers, Hall looked just as sharp as he was before the knee injury despite his recovery limiting his preseason preparations.

With the signing of Dalvin Cook, New York had the option of easing Hall back into the offense after having missed so much time. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported as much Saturday.

Instead, the 2022 second-round pick might be reclaiming his primary ball-carrier status already. He logged only three fewer carries than Cook

Some fantasy managers may want to avoid overreacting to Week 1 and not read too much into Hall's output. Keeping him on the bench might be the prudent approach for the Jets' upcoming matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

Based on the split between Hall and Cook in Week 2, the former could be entering flex territory.

Xavier Gipson, Jets Stun NFL Fans with Comeback vs. Bills After Aaron Rodgers Injury

Sep 12, 2023
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Xavier Gipson #82 of the New York Jets scores the game winning touchdown on a 65-yard punt return during the overtime quarter of the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Xavier Gipson #82 of the New York Jets scores the game winning touchdown on a 65-yard punt return during the overtime quarter of the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

The New York Jets stuffed an entire season's worth of emotions, storylines and roller-coaster turns into a single Monday Night Football game.

And the end result was a stunning 22-16 overtime victory over the division-rival Buffalo Bills.

Undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson played the role of hero with the game-winning punt return touchdown in overtime, but that was far from the only significant development. Aaron Rodgers suffered an ankle injury on the home team's opening offensive possession of the season, the defense turned Josh Allen into a turnover machine and Garrett Wilson put the team on his back for stretches.

It was some night.

Yet it was Gipson's punt return that sent the Jets fans home happy and led to plenty of social media reaction:

For at least a moment, the euphoric victory overshadowed the grim reality of Rodgers' health. The Jets announced X-rays were negative but that he was ruled out for the remainder of the game, and the setback seemed to suck the energy out of MetLife Stadium for much of the contest.

That was especially the case when the Bills extended their lead to double digits by halftime.

However, the Jets defense didn't allow a single point in the second half until Tyler Bass' 50-yard field goal doinked off the upright and through with two seconds remaining to force overtime. By then, New York had taken the lead thanks to two Greg Zuerlein field goals and an unbelievable catch by Wilson in the end zone where he basically had to play wide receiver and defensive back:

Allen threw three interceptions—all of which ended up in the hands of Jordan Whitehead—and he lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter to set the Jets up for an ensuing field goal.

Buffalo's offense also went 3-and-out in overtime before punting to Gipson for the game-deciding return.

While Rodgers' status is the most important long-term development for the Jets, they at least leave Week 1 as winners of one of the most dramatic regular-season games in a long time.

Broncos' Sean Payton on Jets' Garrett Wilson's Sideline Trolling: 'That Was Good'

Sep 5, 2023
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 26: Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton turns and walks back toward the locker room after talking with Greg Penner, right, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of The Denver Broncos at Empower Field on August 26, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos will take on the Los Angeles Rams during their third and final preseason game of the 2023 NFL season. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - AUGUST 26: Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton turns and walks back toward the locker room after talking with Greg Penner, right, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of The Denver Broncos at Empower Field on August 26, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Broncos will take on the Los Angeles Rams during their third and final preseason game of the 2023 NFL season. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is capable of laughing at himself.

In a profile by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Payton had a laugh when discussing some recent trolling by New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

"That was good," the Broncos coach said.

Prior to Denver's preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, NFL Network's James Palmer reported Payton had a list of no-nos for his players that included no sunglasses or bucket hats on the sidelines for the starters after they got pulled from the game.

During New York's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 12, Wilson did an in-game interview wearing sunglasses and a bucket hat.

During a press conference a few days later, Wilson was asked if he was trolling Payton with the attire.

The connection here involves Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was a key subject in an interview with USA Today's Jarrett Bell about the 2022 Broncos.

"They can only beat the (expletive) out of you so much," Payton said. "But everybody's got a little stink on their hands. It's not just Russell. It was a (poor) offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That's how bad it was."

Payton later apologized for his comments after several people within the Jets organization, including Hackett and head coach Robert Saleh, pushed back against his sentiments.

Hackett and the Jets can get a measure of revenge against Payton when they travel to Denver for a matchup with the Broncos on Oct. 8.

Aaron Rodgers' Jets Debut, Garrett Wilson Connection Has Fans Predicting Huge Season

Aug 26, 2023
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 26: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets warms up prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on August 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 26: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets warms up prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on August 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

They're one game in and the pair of Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson already look like they're going to fulfill the lofty expectations they carry into the 2023 NFL season.

The four-time MVP put on a Jets uniform for the first time Saturday against the New York Giants.

He was on the field for two series before making way for Zach Wilson. He finished 5-of-8 for 47 yards and a touchdown. His second drive culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Wilson that will only fuel more excitement for what the tandem can achieve through the air.

As much as Wilson's touchdown catch will grab the headlines, some took note of the performance of New York's offensive line. The unit has been a sore spot this preseason and across training camp.

If there's one thing more than any other that could spoil the franchise's quest for a title, the offensive line might be at the top of the list.

Maybe it's much ado about nothing. The real games haven't started yet, and an elite quarterback can mask a lot of problems with the pass protection.

Given both the low stakes and his limited usage, it would be foolish to make many bold proclamations about Rodgers based on Saturday's game. All things considered, his outing was about as good as fans could've hoped for.

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