5 overreaction takeaways from the NY Jets Week 2 loss to the Cowboys

5- Zach Wilson is still a work in progress

Another tough write-up, but Zach Wilson's day on Sunday was so up-and-down it's hard to evaluate.

The fanbase and media love to jump down Wilson's throat and throw him under the bus, but Sunday's loss was not on the former No. 2 overall pick. I don't even think Aaron Rodgers would win that game. The talent and execution differential on Sunday was enormous all over the field.

But it was a tale of two halves for Wilson. Early on, despite the Jets' struggles to run the ball effectively, Wilson managed to find Garrett Wilson over the middle on a beautifully thrown ball through traffic for a 68-yard touchdown. It was as good a throw as anyone could make.

Later in the half, he led a picture-perfect two-minute drive. He got the ball out quickly and made quick decisions to tuck and run once the pressure closed around him, picking up 34 yards on just four carries.

It would have ended in a touchdown had Wilson's arm not gotten hit as he threw and capped off probably the best drive for Wilson since his rookie year.

It was tough to evaluate Wilson after this point, as the Jets struggled in every way from that point on. The offensive line completely fell apart, Dalvin Cook fumbled, and the next meaningful time Wilson got the ball, it was already 24-10 at the end of the third quarter.

Once the game was out of reach, Wilson reverted to his old self, forcing the ball into double coverage, sloppy footwork, bailing too early on pressure, and seeming completely rattled and flustered.

Before that fourth quarter, though, he was good. Honestly, he was good. He was composed. The footwork was the best I have ever seen with him. The decision-making was better, and he was hitting the easy ones. No, the stats don't help his case, but from a purely football and confidence standpoint, Wilson was much better from when we last saw him.

Again, it's hard for any quarterback to succeed when a team is only rushing four guys and getting a 54 percent pressure rate like Dallas was. That allowed the Cowboys to drop seven guys in coverage, take away any space, and also force him to throw before he wanted to. It was a terrible situation.

The Jets' recipe for success is not for Zach Wilson to dominate the game with 300 passing yards and multiple touchdowns. The key is to run the ball well, which they did not do at all, and allow Wilson to complete safe and easy throws on short yardage downs and distance.

When the offensive line cannot block a soul, and the running game finished with 28 yards rushing, Wilson is going to look like he did in that fourth quarter.

I'd like to see Wilson shake this one off and play well against New England. If the Jets can run the ball and Hackett can craft easy completions for Wilson to get his confidence rolling again, I think Wilson can seriously win games with the Jets this year.