NY Jets: 3 quick thoughts from Week 12 win over the Houston Texans

The return of Zach Wilson was marked with victory as the NY Jets defeated the Houston Texans 21-14.

A shaky game for Zach Wilson

All eyes were on Wilson following his return from a knee injury and the fact the offense seemed to improve during his time away. Following a rough start that has become all too familiar for the rookie, he settled down and finished the day 14-for-24 for 145 yards and recorded his first-career rushing touchdown.

“It was a good day of managing the game,” head coach Robert Saleh said when asked about Wilson. “In the second half, he made the plays he needed to make.”

While Wilson did not wow anybody with his performance, it was enough to get the win which at this point the Jets (3-8) will take. Going forward, Gang Green is going to have to figure out how to make the first-year QB comfortable early and ensure he cuts down on the bone-headed turnovers like the one in the first quarter.

NY Jets defense comes up big

This was a great performance by the Jets’ defense as they accounted for five sacks and shut the Texans (2-9) out in the second half. John Franklin-Myers came up big for Gang Green as he tallied two sacks and a 32-yard interception. 

“He’s worth his weight in gold,” Saleh said regarding Franklin-Myers. “He comes out to practice every single day and he’s working his tail off on game day and it was really cool for him to get the production he got.”

In addition, Quinnen and Quincy Williams recorded sacks of their own as did Ronald Blair. The unit also held Houston to 96 yards rushing and kept their offense at bay down the stretch.

Credit where credit is due

Following a tough start to the season for first-year offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, he seems to have settled into the position as Gang Green’s offense has made significant strides over the last five weeks.

“Consistency is the truest member of performance,” Saleh said. “There’s a standard that we have to be able to achieve day in and day out.”

Along with LaFleur, the Jets’ offensive line has vastly improved since taking a lot of slack early in the year. Despite being without starting running back Michael Carter, Gang Green committed to a rushing attack and accounted for 157 yards running.