Zach Wilson and 3 others who led the NY Jets to victory in Week 16

The NY Jets managed to pull off a 26-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 on the back of a few excellent performances from the team's young players.

While the win doesn't improve their draft position, it's hard to be too upset about the manner in which the Jets won. Zach Wilson and Michael Carter's big days helped the Jets clinch their fourth victory of the season, doubling their win total from a year ago.

And given the circumstances the team was forced to deal with, this was as gusty of a performance as the Jets have had in a long time, even if it did come against the lowly Jaguars.

The Jets were down both starting guards, lost center Connor McGovern before the game was over, and even saw right tackle Morgan Moses depart for a brief period of time.

Meanwhile, they were without their top three wide receivers as well as about half their starting defense. Not to mention their head coach. This was as injury and illness-riddled as the Jets have been all season.

And they still managed to pull out the win.

But which players on the roster were most responsible for the Jets' Week 16 victory? We take a look at four players who led the Jets to their win over the Jaguars.

1. Zach Wilson, QB, NY Jets

Zach Wilson wasn't the sole reason the Jets won on Sunday, but he sure played a part in their ultimate victory. Wilson finished 14-of-22 for 102 yards and a touchdown in the air, but did his most damage on the ground rushing for 91 yards and another score.

Down his top three wide receivers, Wilson found others ways to move the football when his receivers weren't creating separation. And perhaps most important, he went another game without a turnover.

Wilson has just two interceptions (and one fumble) to go along with seven total touchdowns in his last six starts. He's making smart decisions and using his legs to take advantage of bad defenses.

The rookie quarterback continues to make important strides and Sunday's game was another step in the right direction.

2. Michael Carter, RB, NY Jets

Welcome back Michael Carter. In his second game back from injury, Carter put together arguably the best performance of his young NFL career rushing for a career-best 118 yards on 16 carries for a highly efficient 7.4 yards per attempt.

Carter and the Jets ground game led the way for what was an explosive performance from the running game. Tevin Coleman added 57 yards on 14 attempts as well to go along with Wilson's 91 rushing yards.

Carter became only the second Jets player to rush for over 100 yards in a game since 2018 as the Jets managed a whopping 273 total rushing yards. That's the third-most rushing yards the Jets have had in a game since 2012.

Michael Carter was one of the biggest reasons the Jets had as much success as they did on offense.

3. Braxton Berrios, WR, NY Jets

Braxton Berrios might legitimately be one of the most valuable players on the Jets' roster right now. And he proved that once again this week.

Berrios finished with a team-leading five catches for 37 yards and appeared to be the only receiver consistently getting separation. But his biggest impact play came early in the second quarter when he took a kickoff 101 yards to the house for a touchdown.

Berrios did his best to prove that he was deserving of a Pro Bowl nod with another explosive performance. Given the Jets' injuries at the wide receiver position, Berrios might just be the only reliable option they have left.

A pending free agent in the offseason, the Jets would be wise to extend Berrios as soon as possible.

4. NY Jets offensive line

The Jets' offensive line deserves a shoutout for how well they held up despite numerous injuries decimating the unit. The Jets were without both Alijah Vera-Tucker and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif forcing Dan Feeney and Greg Van Roten into the starting lineup.

They lost Morgan Moses for a short while as Conor McDermott stepped in at right tackle. And when Connor McGovern went down in the second half, the Jets shifted Feeney over to center and inserted practice squad lineman Isaiah Williams at left guard.

But despite all of the turnover, they still paved the way for one of the Jets' best rushing performances of the decade and allowed just one sack — a two-yard loss on what was really a coverage sack.

Enough can't be said about how well the front-five played on Sunday. They were one of the biggest reasons the Jets came away with the win.