This Zach Wilson Stat Puts Him on Bust Trajectory
After playing the best game of what has been a rollercoaster rookie season, many thought Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was primed to build off that against a porous Falcons defense that gives up the most points in the NFL.
Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight on the Wilson fairytale and his game returned to pumpkin form in a disastrous loss to the Falcons on Sunday morning. Wilson completed only 59.4% of his passes for 192 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception.
The INT, which was a wounded duck of a throw, lifted Wilson's season total to eight, including at least one in each of his first five games. The other players to throw for at least one INT in their first five career games? Let's just say the names leave a lot to be desired.
Zach Wilson is the 4th QB to throw an interception in each of his first 5 career games over the last 10 seasons, joining DeShone Kizer (2017), Zach Mettenberger (2014), and Blake Bortles (2014). @ESPNStatsInfo #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 10, 2021
Bortles was a first-round pick like Wilson, Kizer was a highly-regarded second rounder coming out of Notre Dame and Mettenberger was a sixth-round pick. None lasted more than six seasons in the league and none are currently playing in the NFL. While this start certainly doesn't guarantee Wilson will be a bust, this is not the company you want to keep as a quarterback.
So far this year, Wilson is completing 56.8% of his passes with four TDs against eight INTs. He's fumbled the ball twice, though both were recovered, and he's been sacked 16 times. His quarterback rating (62.8) is third worst in the league. That's why his Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have dropped all the way to +1200, seventh amongst his peers.
Now, in fairness to Wilson, he's surrounded by arguably the worst offensive skill-position talent in the NFL. His top receiver, Corey Davis, is a solid No. 2 or preferably No. 3 WR. Michael Carter and Ty Johnson are the Jets top running backs who might not see the field on another team. His offensive line is swish cheese and he's being coached by a rookie head coach, Robert Salah. Lots going against him.
And yet...
Stats are stats and we can't ignore them. We also can't ignore the questionable decisions Wilson consistently makes or the horrendous throws his right arm unleashes. At some point, there are no more excuses. There needs to be improvement. Until we see that (a turnover free game would be a nice start), expect more concerning stats like this to pop up.