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Jets fans began this season hoping not to see Zach Wilson as their quarterback at all as Aaron Rodgers was slated to be the starter. This was the express purpose with which the future Hall-of-Famer had been acquired from the Green Bay Packers.
That plan lasted for all of four snaps. Rodgers was tackled, got up slowly and then collapsed back in a heap. It was a leg injury, which did not look good at first sight. While more information will gradually emerge, there is a good chance it might be an Achilles injury that could rule him out for the quarterback of the season.
So, Zach Wilson was back again leading the New York Jets. He has had a torrid few seasons, which prompted the franchise to go for a veteran quarterback this time around. And his performances were poor when he was the designated starter.
Now, he came into an unenviable situation. He was the backup and had not played sufficient reps with the other starters on offense. The entire scheme had been remodeled to suit Aaron Rodgers' playing style. Nathaniel Hackett was a new offensive coordinator for him. So, here was a player who was already struggling in the NFL, who was thrown into these circumstances.
Thankfully for the Jets fans, he managed to do enough to win the game. He was poor for the first three quarters. But trailing 13-6 and with the game on the line, he threw a couple of passes to Allen Lazard and Garrett Wilson to reach 1st-and-goal. He eventually tossed a touchdown pass to ensure that they tied the game at 13-13.
The game would end 16-16 in regulation time before a punt return in overtime secured a 22-16 overtime win for the Jets. Zach Wilson completed 14 of 21 passes for one touchdown, one interception and 140 yards, finishing with a 81.4 passer rating.
Jets fans salute Zach Wilson after Jets overcome the Bills in OT on MNF
Jets fans hailed his performance on social media. While still not fully enamored, they recognized how important this victory against their dominant AFC East divisional rivals was. Here are some of the best reponses on social media.
Josh Allen the difference today
Zach Wilson came in and had only 140 yards. He did enough to win today. But today's loss for the Bills resides a lot with Josh Allen. He had three interceptions and one fumble that gave the Jets multiple chances to come back into the game, which they then gladly took, especially with their solitary touchdown to Garrett Wilson.
Zach Wilson may or may not be the second-coming of Aaron Rodgers but he will have to improve a lot over this performance to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, whose defense held the New York Giants scoreless in their opening game. Or else he has to hope that Dak Prescott is as generous as he was last year when he led the league in interceptions.
