NY Jets QB Zach Wilson will start against the Houston Texans

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Zach Wilson / Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

The NY Jets are expected to see the long-awaited return of Zach Wilson in Week 12 as the rookie quarterback is set to start this Sunday against the Houston Texans, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic.

Wilson has been sidelined with a knee injury since leaving early in the team's Week 7 loss to the New England Patriots. In that time the Jets have seen three other quarterbacks play significant snaps with Mike White, Josh Johnson, and Joe Flacco each receiving a chance.

The Jets have insisted for weeks that the plan was to start Wilson once he was healthy. Given an initial timeframe of 2-4 weeks, this past Sunday marked four weeks since his injury.

The Jets waited until he was 100 percent good to go. And now, he's expected to make his return.

Zach Wilson's return could ignite the NY Jets fan base in Week 12

Wilson was having an up-and-down rookie season prior to his injury. In six starts, Wilson has tossed four touchdowns and nine interceptions completing 58 percent of his passes and throwing for 1,168 yards.

He's certainly had his fair share of struggles, much like the other top rookie quarterbacks have this season, save for Mac Jones. But his return could ignite a fan base that was forced to watch Joe Flacco throw footballs just a few days ago.

Despite his struggles, Wilson has also flashed at times. Most notably during his Week 4 performance against the current AFC No. 1 seeded Tennessee Titans.

Wilson completed 62 percent of his passes and threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns in that game displaying the potential he has. The Jets will be hoping to see more consistency from Wilson down the stretch.

A matchup against a bad Texans defense could be exactly what Wilson needs to get back on track.

Return of the Zach. Zach is back.

Zach Wilson has returned.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.