NY Jets: 3 changes that Zach Wilson must make going forward

2. NY Jets QB Zach Wilson must protect the football

Once again, this is another one of those things that rookie quarterbacks tend to struggle with. Turnovers can transform a promising performance into a nightmare and turn a potential win into a loss very quickly.

Wilson has had his issues with turnovers, something head coach Robert Saleh has attributed to the former BYU star not playing enough "boring" football. And there's definitely some truth to that.

Through three games, Wilson has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled once, although he recovered his own fumble. This included a four-interception disaster against the New England Patriots in Week 2.

Wilson is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with fellow rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, although Lawrence has played an additional game. That said, not all of Wilson's interceptions were necessarily his fault.

Pro Football Focus has tagged Wilson with six turnover-worthy plays which is tied for second with Lamar Jackson behind Lawrence who had nine going into Thursday night's game.

Wilson's receivers haven't done him any favors to this point, but the fact still remains that he must do a better job of protecting the football. He has the highest interception rate in the NFL with 6.7 percent of his passes picked off through three games.

The other issues in Wilson's game ultimately compound this one. But perhaps nothing is more important for a quarterback than protecting the football.

Wilson must cut down on the turnovers to find any sort of consistency this season.