NY Jets: 7 takeaways from Week 2 including Zach Wilson's dreadful day

The NY Jets took the field in Week 2 and stumbled their way to a 25-6 defeat at the hands of their division rivals, the New England Patriots.

There's plenty to take away from this disappointing divisional defeat, but none more so than the poor performance from rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.

Wilson and the Jets now hold an 0-2 record following losses to both the Carolina Panthers and Patriots. Many expected the Jets to lose this game, but it is a little concerning to see how they lost it.

But aside from Wilson's struggles, there were a few positives from this game. Let's take a look at seven takeaways from Sunday's loss.

1. The NY Jets running game was impressive

Let's start with a positive. The Jets running game struggled to get going in Week 1 with the offensive line failing to help them out. But in Week 2, it was a completely different story.

The Jets leaned on Ty Johnson and rookie Michael Carter more than in recent weeks and the young running back duo didn't disappoint.

Johnson carried the ball 12 times for 50 yards while Carter led the way with 59 yards on 11 carries. The fourth-round rookie also added 29 yards on two catches.

Even veteran Tevin Coleman played well adding 24 yards on five carries. In total, the Jets averaged a highly efficient 4.9 yards per carry. It was a much-improved showing from the running game in Week 2.

2. Zach Wilson's abysmal afternoon

The Jets lost this game because of Zach Wilson — there's really no way around that. While the rest of the Jets team did their part, Wilson struggled to the tune of four interceptions including three on his first seven passes.

Wilson was the first quarterback since at least 1991 to throw an interception on his first two attempts. And aside from his second pick that went through the hands of Corey Davis, all of them were particularly ugly.

The rookie never seemed comfortable and forced passes into tight coverage instead of taking safer, check-down options. Wilson just wasn't seeing the field and it was evident all game long.

He finished 19-of-33 for 210 yards and four interceptions, failing to find the end zone. And in reality, garbage-time yards made that stat line look a little better than it should have been.

The Jets will hope to see a bounce-back performance from Wilson in Week 3. But this was about as bad as it gets.

3. The NY Jets offensive line was much better

Wilson's poor performance wasn't necessarily a result of a poor supporting cast, however. The Jets' offensive line played much better in Week 2 than they did a week ago.

While the pass protection unraveled a bit in the fourth quarter, through the first three quarters, the Jets' offensive line allowed just one sack and four total pressures.

On top of that, they paved the way for what was an excellent day from the running game. For the first time since 1998, the Jets had three running backs (with five or more rushes) average over 4.0 yards per carry.

Is that a bit of a cherry-picked stat? Sure. But the offensive line was much improved from a communication standpoint and it showed on the field.

4. Corey Davis was neutralized

Corey Davis was the Jets' undisputed top offensive playmaker in Week 1 and his chemistry with Zach Wilson was a major talking point coming out of the game.

But to no surprise, the Patriots managed to neutralize Davis on Sunday. The 26-year-old wide receiver was held to just two catches for eight yards with his first catch not coming until the final minute of the third quarter.

The Patriots did everything they could to take Davis out of the game, but he did himself no favors either. Wilson's second interception of the day went right through the hands of Davis who accepted blame for the turnover after the game.

Following an excellent Week 1, Davis was an afterthought this week. Braxton Berrios is the Jets' leader in targets, receptions, and yards.

That's not what the team signed up for when they made numerous high-profile additions in the offseason.

5. The NY Jets young cornerbacks continue to play well

Perhaps nothing has been more surprising than the play of the Jets' young cornerbacks so far this season. Through two games, they've arguably been a strength of the defense as opposed to the glaring weakness most expected them to be.

Bryce Hall looks like a rock-solid starter on the outside. Michael Carter II balled out all summer and has continued that trend in the regular season. Even Brandin Echols, who exited the game early with an injury, has more than held his own.

The Jets held Patriots wide receivers to just nine catches and for 69 yards. Yes, the likes of Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor hardly strike fear into opposing defenses, but the Miami Dolphins allowed them to finish with nearly double the number of yards last week.

The Jets have to be pleased with the play of their young cornerbacks.

6. The NY Jets had some questionable personnel decisions on offense

For as much good as there was on offense (aside from the play of Wilson), there are still plenty of questions to go around about the Jets' personnel usage.

This extends beyond the expected decision to make Denzel Mims a healthy inactive too. Despite being active, Keelan Cole was nowhere to be found for most of the game.

While he did still register a few offensive snaps, he wasn't targeted a single time. Instead, players like Jeff Smith and even Ryan Griffin lined up out wide in crucial third-down situations.

Braxton Berrios is the Jets' leading receiver through two games. Mims can't sniff the field. And guys like Griffin and Smith are being targeted more than Cole.

What exactly are we doing here? The Jets should play their best players, and that seemingly hasn't happened to this point.

7. The NY Jets pass rush impressed in the first half

The Jets pass rush came alive in the second half of Week 1, and they carried over that momentum in the first half of this Sunday's game.

The Jets registered three sacks in the first half with Marcus Maye, John Franklin-Myers, and Sheldon Rankins all getting to Mac Jones once.

Maye came screaming around the edge for a sack in the first quarter before Franklin-Myers and Rankins followed suit with two sacks on the same series a little later.

Franklin-Myers continued his excellent start to the season as he's looked like one of the Jets' best overall players to this point.

It would have been nice to see them keep bringing the pressure in the second half and the Jets still want to see more from Quinnen Williams, but there were certainly some positive takeaways from the pass rush in Week 2.