Kevin Byard confirms what Jets fans likely knew about Patriots' Garrett Wilson game plan

It's starting to feel like there's some unwritten rule where the New York Jets are only allowed to overload Garrett Wilson with targets every other week, considering the fact that Geno Smith only threw the ball at his WR1 six times on Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots.

Despite an 11-target, seven-reception outing last week against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, that saw Wilson go for 107 yards and a touchdown, Wilson felt like he was barely a part of the game plan in New England, and it was obvious that the Patriots made a point of erasing him from the picture.

Don't take it from me, though; take it from veteran safety Kevin Byard, who revealed after the game that the Patriots' defensive game plan was to take away Wilson as an option for the Jets' offense.

"Another key was to eliminate No. 5 from the game, and I think we did that for the most part. He didn't really affect the game as much as he probably wanted to."

Patriots achieved their goal of taking Garrett Wilson away from the New York Jets

Well, the Patriots did exactly what they wanted to do on Sunday, making sure Wilson was very nearly a non-factor in their 26-19 win. It wasn't as bad as the Jets' Week 4 outing against the Chicago Bears, but Wilson only managed to haul in four passes for 44 yards, a stat line unbecoming of the caliber of player he is.

To make matters worse, four of Wilson's six targets came in the fourth quarter, meaning that through the first three quarters of action, the Jets only targeted their best receiver twice.

New England shadowed Wilson with Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez for a large majority of the afternoon, but as Aaron Glenn himself said, that was no excuse for the lack of production.

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich has to find ways to keep his star wide receiver involved in the game. Regardless of the other team's game plan, good coaches are able to scheme up opportunities for their best player. The Jets haven't been able to find a way to do that quite yet.

It's easy to imagine Wilson getting frustrated. He typically says and does all the right things as the team's franchise player, but there's a reason why fans and analysts around the league constantly throw him into trade conversations.

There has to be a way to consistently make him a part of the offense. And that's on Reich and the rest of the offensive staff going forward.

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