Getty New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson reacting on the field after an NFL game.
The immediate future of New York Jets starting quarterback Zach Wilson is very much up in the air.
Following a brutal 32-6 loss in Week 11 to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Robert Saleh was non-committal about his quarterback situation.
“We’re gonna watch the tape and we’ll make a decision tomorrow,” Saleh told the media when asked who is the starting quarterback moving forward.
The Jets will have a short week ahead of its next matchup in Week 12. Gang Green is set to play in the first ever Black Friday game versus the Miami Dolphins and because of that “everything is accelerated.”
“You don’t have Monday and Tuesday to dissect and breathe for a second, but we’ll be pretty quick [with our quarterback decision],” Saleh said on Sunday, November 19.
Wilson Had Another Brutal Showing as the QB for the Jets
The former BYU product finished 7-of-15 for 81 passing yards, throwing one touchdown pass, and one interception. Wilson was also sacked five times and averaged only 5.4 yards per passing attempt.
Wilson got benched late in the third quarter for veteran backup Tim Boyle. The only reason the Jets didn’t pull Wilson from the game sooner was because of what transpired at the end of the first half.
On fourth and two from their own 24-yard line, the Jets pulled off a fake punt. Punter Thomas Morstead completed a pass to cornerback Brandin Echols to convert and keep the drive alive.
Ultimately the Jets scored a touchdown on that drive when Wilson found running back Breece Hall for the nine-yard score.
Rich Cimini of ESPN said that drive “might have saved” Wilson from getting pulled at halftime.
Zach Wilson halftime stats:
5-for-12, 67 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
That scoring drive at the end of the half, sparked by the Morstead pass on the fake punt, might have saved Wilson from getting pulled. I’d be surprised if Saleh goes to Boyle at this point. #Jets
Cimini said after the game that Saleh being non-committal about Wilson being his quarterback was the first time that has happened this season.
For the first time this season, Saleh was non-committal on Zach Wilson. He wouldn’t say Wilson will start Friday vs Miami. #Jets
Everything Is on the Table for the Jets at QB Position
Boyle didn’t fare much better than Wilson during the game but it’s hard to blame him. The battle was already decided by the time the backup quarterback trotted into the game.
He finished the day 7-of-14 for 33 passing yards. Boyle through one interception at the end of the game on fourth down.
“I thought Tim came in was decisive, got rid of the ball, [I] thought he did a good job,” Saleh explained to the media after the game. “The forced fourth down throw at the end of the game was a bit of a force just trying to get the ball out of his hands to give someone a chance. He did some good things.”
This was the first time that Boyle has seen the field this season for the Jets. He signed a one-year deal for $1.15 million this offseason to join the green and white. Boyle didn’t initially make the 53-man roster, but was brought back on the team’s practice squad.
The 29-year-old has a long history with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and his system.
He was recruited by Hackett back in college and connected with him during their time together on the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers.
After Rodgers was lost in Week 1 with a torn Achilles, the Jets promoted him from the practice squad to the active roster.