NY Jets Beast of the Week: Zach Wilson's early success brings hope for the future

In their matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the day started out very promising for the NY Jets. Braxton Berrios returned the opening kickoff 79 yards giving the Jets excellent field possession.

Five plays later, Gang Green took an early 6-0 lead courtesy of a three-yard touchdown pass from Zach Wilson to Elijah Moore.

Unfortunately, the good vibes would end somewhere around the second quarter for the Jets, and what started out as a day of excitement and optimism ended in a 33-18 loss to the Eagles.

The Jets dropped to 0-12 against Philadelphia and they still remain the only team that the Jets have never beaten in a regular-season game. The loss also dropped the Jets to 3-9 clinching their sixth consecutive losing season.

Once again there were some bright spots for the Jets and "Beast of the Week" Honorable Mention should go out to Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios, and Tevin Coleman.

Moore caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, Berrios returned three kicks for 139 yards including his spectacular 79-yard opening game return, and Coleman rushed for 58 yards on 11 carries and also added three receptions.

Zach Wilson's strong first half ignited the NY Jets offense early on

Wilson earns this week's award, but in all honesty, Wilson was more of a "Beast of the First Half" rather than the entire game. Less than midway through the second quarter, Wilson connected with tight end Ryan Griffin on a one-yard touchdown pass completing a 75-yard drive, but the Jets would not score another point for the rest of the game.

A good portion for the lack of offense could be attributed to a putrid Jets' defense that allowed the Eagles to run and pass at will. The Eagles controlled the clock and time of possession especially in the third quarter where the Jets had the ball on offense for a grand total of only 70 seconds.

Scoring points in the NFL is pretty close to impossible when your offense doesn't have the ball and your defense is non-existent.

In his first appearance at MetLife Stadium since defeating the Tennessee Titans on October 3, Wilson got off to a hot start and shined early. The former BYU star connected on touchdown passes to Elijah Moore and Ryan Griffin and in between plunged into the endzone from a yard out culminating an 11 play drive.

The two touchdown passes thrown in the first half were the first such scores for Wilson on the season. Early in the game, Wilson showed much improvement in his progressions and appeared to be getting rid of the ball much quicker.

Credit should also be given to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur who did a good job of simplifying the game plan that consisted of short easy passes and a well-balanced running attack led by Tevin Coleman.

The most noticeable improvement for Wilson was the chemistry between the young quarterback and Elijah Moore.

At the beginning of the season, the two rookies appeared to be having issues getting on the same page but they looked much more comfortable against the Eagles. Going forward it is imperative that they both continue to grow and gain trust in each other.

Wilson finished the game by completing 23-of-38 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and one interception.

However, in the first half, he completed 12-of-14 passes for 108 yards and was responsible for all three Jets' scores utilizing both his arm and his legs. For the day, Wilson had a quarterback rating of 83.9.

Zach Wilson clearly has a ways to go before he's considered an upper-echelon quarterback in the NFL. He still needs to improve on his field vision and decision-making.

Wilson's fourth-quarter interception was an example of just that. His high and late pass over the middle resulted in an easy pick for the Eagles' free safety Marcus Epps.

With five games remaining for the season, it's all about Wilson's development towards the future. Many positives can be taken from this game and going forward progress must continue to be made. As Zach Wilson goes, so go the New York Jets.