In the NFL, Week 14, the Jets had Zach Wilson’s back throughout the entire week.
The quarterback who is playing with nothing to worry about is the topic of conversation between Garrett Wilson and Robert Saleh. We also discuss why the Browns are a good fit for Joe Flacco, why the Bengals have faith in Jake Browning, why the Bills have a vacancy in the American Football Conference, and more.
There is room for debate on the overall quality of play throughout the league; as of late, it has been less than stellar. The fourteenth week, however, was full of a lot of turmoil. Now, let’s go into it, shall we?
There is room for debate on the overall quality of play throughout the league; as of late, it has been less than stellar. The fourteenth week, however, was full of a lot of turmoil. Now, let’s go into it, shall we?
In spite of the fact that it might not seem significant to you, the Jets actually did have Zach Wilson’s back this week. This was true for both the coaches and the players on the squad, including one particular star who has been relatively vocal in recent weeks about his overall unhappiness with the performance of the offense.
In addition, Garrett Wilson did not waste any time in responding to the claim that was published in The Athletic on Monday, which stated that his quarterback would prefer not to return the starting job. “As soon as I saw the report, I reached out to him, and I simply let him know that I will always have his back, no matter what.” “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one,” the top receiver commented to me after the game. “I’m sure there were others.” What I observed from him today was that he was simply going out there, spinning it, and playing on the field. The problem is, he just wanted to go out there and say, “I have nothing to worry about,” and that’s exactly what this is. Let me just go out there and play my game, let it spin, and then see where it gets me. They have benched me in the past, and all of these factors had a role in it. The work that he accomplished today was very impressive. To put it another way, I told Garrett that he should act as if he didn’t give a care about anything.
While Wilson is chuckling, he says, “You asked the question, and I almost said, F— it for that.” “That is the frame of mind that I observed in Zach. Actually, it is what I observed. This is the most accurate way that I could put it.
That turned out to be the rallying cry behind the 24-year-old quarterback on Sunday, since the top receiver for the Jets wasn’t the only man to use those particular words to describe what transpired with Wilson as he led the Jets to a 30–6 victory over the Texans, who were just starting out in the NFL.
While completing 27 of 36 passes, Wilson passed for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and a rating of 117.9 yards per throw. He took Garrett Wilson’s nine receptions for 108 yards and Breece Hall’s eight receptions for 86 yards and got more out of them than anyone else has done all year. Furthermore, he accomplished this feat despite the fact that the rain was falling in a sloping manner at MetLife Stadium and that it had been only three weeks before Robert Saleh had seemingly permanently benched him following the Jets’ humiliating loss in Buffalo. “F— it,” Saleh remarked later on Sunday night. “Those are the words I’ve been using.” Ice T, give me a break. Simply let it to rip. That is to say, providing Garrett fifty percent of the operations and giving Conk (Tyler Conklin) one. Everything was planned out, in time, and there was no compulsion involved. The fact that he was able to put everything together, including extending time in the pocket, scrambling, and running, made it by far the best game he had ever played in his career. I am aware that he made a mistake with the one. He was incredible, however.
In addition to this, he demonstrated that he was capable of doing it even when things did not begin in the manner that anyone would have anticipated.
On the Jets’ first possession, Wilson made a sack that knocked the Jets out of field goal range. After that, New York’s next four possessions were three three-and-outs without a touchdown since the Jets’ first possession. Even though the Jets had 100 yards, five first downs, and were one for seven on third down at the half, Garrett Wilson observed that the Jets were playing at a different pace and had a different feel to their game. We had the impression that we were on the verge of shattering that seal throughout the entirety of the first half, and that has been the case with us,” the receiver explains. The feeling that we have is that once we score that first touchdown, who knows what the rest of the game will be like from that point on?
The fumble that Zach Wilson committed in the second half was brought up by Saleh; it turned out that this error would be the only thing that would prevent the Jets from scoring any more points in the remainder of the game. The second half began with two touchdown drives, one of 75 yards and the other of 69 yards. Following that, there was a fumble, and then there was another touchdown drive that went 75 yards, and then there were three possessions that resulted in field goals.
This second half was a combination of the ordinary and the extraordinary (there was a third-and-12 on the first play following the halftime break on which Wilson bolted loose, sprinted left, and then threw back across his body to Garrett Wilson for a gain of 25 yards). And in the end, everything came together in the way that the Jets had hoped it would work when they selected Wilson with the second selection in the draft from BYU.
When he approached the quarterback to discuss the contents of the report, Saleh claims to have witnessed a blaze of excitement in Wilson’s eyes.
The only thing that I am aware of is that Zach was enthusiastic and wanted the ball, recalls Saleh. The manner in which he approached it on Monday, before my press conference, and before I had even made a decision, gave me the impression that he was going to play with great success. He was firm about the fact that he wanted the ball, but I didn’t make a decision until much later. He simply said, “I want the ball.” An incredible week was just getting started for him, and it was just the beginning.
And with regard to what comes after that, the Jets, who are currently 5–8 on the season, will travel to Miami, and after that, things will become a great deal more manageable, since the Commanders, Browns, and Patriots will be on the schedule for the final three weeks of the season. So, certainly, if New York is able to defeat the Dolphins away from home in some way, then things will become quite genuine. This will undoubtedly add a great deal of excitement, and it will also increase the incentive for Aaron Rodgers to find his way back onto the field.
However, for the time being, the Jets are adamant that this is not where their minds are.
Garrett Wilson is quoted as saying, “As far as this year is concerned, I honestly don’t think about Rodgers’ possibility of returning.” The fact that he is in the vicinity and that you are able to collaborate with him is quite valuable. According to what I have stated, however, I need to be present in the moment, I need to be on top of my details, and I need to be on top of my stuff. If that does occur, I will be prepared since I am aware of how I have been thinking about things in the meantime.
At this point, Saleh continues, “For us, it’s just one game at a time.” “Just have fun and play,” she said. You should not be thinking about anything other than the present moment.
That is something that Zach Wilson unquestionably performed on Sunday. And, well, it was a wise decision for him to make. There are a number of reasons why Joe Flacco would be an excellent addition to the Browns’ squad. One of these reasons is because the roster would not require any significant changes. Moreover, a handful of his new coworkers were able to comprehend the second component of the equation practically immediately after he joined the squad.
Specifically, it was seven days after he had signed the contract. A group dinner was held for the linemen and quarterbacks on November 27 at Mastro’s in Beverly Hills. The team had set up shop for the week at UCLA, which was located in between games against the Broncos and the Rams, which were played away from the team’s home stadium. Over steaks and cocktails, the 38-year-old player, who had just gotten off the couch, was able to effortlessly blend in with a group of players from the Browns who had been with the team for a long time. Joel Bitonio, one of the players, happened to be the player with the longest tenure on the roster.
As Bitonio was driving home on Sunday, he made the following statement: “You have a quarterback, he is a Super Bowl champion, he is the Super Bowl MVP, but unfortunately, he beat up on the Browns when he was down in Baltimore.” “It was just like, I’m considered to be one of the boys. My first conversation with him was about whether or not he was experiencing feelings of aging while he was in the company of younger men. “To tell you the truth, I’m 38 years old, but when I’m around the guys, I feel like I’m 25.” You all make me feel like a child again. … And ever since then, he has been patiently waiting to become a member of the group.
That was one thing to be able to blend in off the field. Another option was to carry it out on the field. That portion, on the other hand, is progressing in a manner that is just as seamless.
While leading the Patriots to a 31–27 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday, Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns. There were eight different players who made receptions, five of them made multiple catches, and Flacco led touchdown drives to start the first, second, and third quarters during the game. And the fact that he is able to do it is directly related to the first component of the equation that was discussed earlier.
It is clear to Flacco that he is not there to rescue the Browns from a predicament. To be more accurate, it’s the complete opposite. At this point, Cleveland is functioning well enough that what it really requires is a player who can maintain his hands at 10 and 2. Which, for the most part, is exactly what Flacco provided for them on Sunday.
Yes, there were times when Flacco did more than that. One example of this is when he threw across his body to David Bell, who then caught the ball and ran it forward for a touchdown of 41 yards on a fourth-quarter fourth-and-three. As a club that had already won games with Deshaun Watson, PJ Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson at the quarterback position, the Browns needed, for the most part, just someone to come in and keep the train on the rails. This was the most important thing that they needed.
To which Bitonio responds with a chuckle, “It’s underratedly impressive.” “I’ve been a part of some terrible teams that have gone through three or four quarterbacks in different starting positions. The clubs in question do not win games. In those seasons, you go from 1 to 15 and from 0 to 16. For [General Manager] Andrew Berry and coach [Kevin] Stefanski to have us just playing resilient football, it is the most cliché thing that has ever been said, but being undefeated every week is impressive. Despite the fact that you do not know who will be the quarterback or what circumstances you will be in, the focus of the week is on the fact that, regardless of what happens, we are going to finish the week with a perfect score.
“None of our three best tackles have been available. Today, our center suffered an injury. Our database systems are getting damaged. The quarterback position is not the only target here. Quite a few players have been involved. It demonstrates the resiliency of the organization. It also demonstrates their depth, according to Bitonio. “Throughout the years, we have had Myles [Garrett]. Joe Thomas, a player similar to Nick Chubb, was a member of our team in the past, he adds. On the other hand, I believe that if you look at every position group right now, you would be thinking, “All right, that’s one of the best players in the league playing in that position group, helping lead.” In addition, when you continue to use the same system, you continue to use coach Stefanski, you continue to use Andrew Berry, you continue to use the same method over the past four years, you learn how to win and you learn how to deal with different scenarios.
While the Browns have, of course, experimented with different quarterbacks, such as Baker Mayfield and Watson, more recently, it has been as they have taken swings at quarterback. But as they progressed, they continued to develop and construct until they eventually had something that did not require the quarterback to dress in a phone booth in order for the team to have a chance of winning. Consequently, it is clear that a 38-year-old has found himself in a scenario that is quite comfortable for him to enter into.