Zach Wilson ranks 34th in the NFL in passer rating. His 71.0 is ahead of only Kenny Pickett and behind even teammate Joe Flacco.
The Jets quarterback has three touchdowns and five interceptions, with three of the picks coming Sunday in the loss to the Patriots.
Coach Robert Saleh and Wilson’s teammates have had their quarterback’s back this week, and General Manager Joe Douglas offered his support Tuesday.
“’I’m sure he’d tell you there’s a few throws he’d want back but, look, we’re 4-1 with Zach as our quarterback,” Douglas said, via Zack Rosenblatt of TheAthletic.com. “In his first game back [against the Steelers], he brought us back from a double-digit deficit in hostile territory. I’m sure he’d say he wants a few of those throws back [against New England], but he also had nine explosive passes. There’s a lot of good to take away from that game. I know the focus was on the turnovers, but we love Zach. We love his approach every week. We love his competitiveness.
“He’s our quarterback.”
Douglas and Saleh are tied to Wilson after drafting him second overall. Wilson is only in his second season and has played only 18 games in his career.
But the Jets need fewer turnovers from their quarterback than he had Sunday to have a chance to do what they believe they can do.
“It’s tough, because when you lose, the quarterback gets the blame, and it’s not always just the quarterback’s fault,” Douglas said. “But . . . we’re going to be tough to beat when we take care of the ball, when we don’t have self-inflicted wounds. We talk about that every week, how games aren’t won in this league; they’re lost. We need to take care of the ball, and with our defense and special teams we’re going to be a tough team to beat. Focus on the turnover battle, focus on eliminating self-inflicted wounds, and that’s not just for Zach. That’s for the entire team.”
