Every New York Jets fan collectively held their breath as the future of the franchise was clutching at his leg in the second quarter of the Week 7 matchup vs the New England Patriots.
Zach Wilson was hit by Matthew Judon of the New England Patriots after throwing a pass deep down the field. Initially, he was ruled as questionable to return by the team before ultimately being ruled out at halftime for the remainder of the contest.
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BYU Stud Provides a Grim Diagnosis
After the game, the Jets made Wilson available to the media and he had a chance to talk about what was going through his mind when he got hurt:
“Praying that it wasn’t the worst-case scenario having a knee injury. It wasn’t necessarily a painful thing, I felt a pop and a twist. You kind of know when it’s different than just getting some sort of bruise or getting landed on or whatever. I knew something had happened and it felt a little unstable. That’s why I wanted to make sure everything was okay, it was sore I couldn’t really move it at first and that’s why I kind of laid there at first to gather my thoughts.”
#Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) on his injury, ‘praying it wasn’t the worst case scenario’ + ‘at first it wasn’t a painful thing I felt a pop/twist so you kind of know when it’s different & it felt a little bit unstable’: #NYJvsNE #TakeFlight
Feeling a pop and a twist is never good, but the team is hopeful and optimistic that it won’t be serious.
“We’ll know more [on Monday], but initially we feel good,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh to the media. “But you never know.”
Insider Provides Some Insight
#ZachWilson in locker room and questionable to return.
By video, worry for right knee PCL tear/sprain. Would not mean surgery but depending on severity could miss weeks. Doubt he can return today.
Shortly after the game, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport said the 22-year-old youngster will “have an MRI on his knee” but his sources indicate that the initial belief is Wilson “suffered an injury to his PCL.”
It seems guaranteed that the former BYU passer will “likely miss time” but the bigger question is how much?
Wilson’s description of his knee’s status was “loose” and that it “felt off” that would indicate a PCL issue and provides an insight on the extent of the injury.
Dr. David Chao a former NFL head team doctor for over 17 years added some additional context saying the description sounds like “at least a grade 2” PCL injury and he would expect Wilson to miss “several weeks.”
He would call the short-term IR “a possibility.” If the Jets decided to place him on injured reserve he would have to miss at a minimum another three games if not more.
Everything should be revealed on Monday after the MRI, but there seems to be optimism that it won’t be season-ending. Although you never know the full extent of injuries until you go through all the proper protocols.
Mike White is the only other quarterback on the 53 man roster for the Jets, but they do have veteran Josh Johnson on the practice squad.
Another possibility could include signing former fourth-rounder James Morgan off of the Carolina Panthers practice squad. He had been with the team since 2020 including this entire summer before being waived during final roster cuts.
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Jets’ Zach Wilson Felt ‘Pop’ in Knee, Insider Shares Injury Update