Zach Wilson's shaky performance leads to NY Jets loss in Week 2

The Jets were unable to win despite Zach Wilson's best efforts

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Zach Wilson / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets entered their Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys hoping to receive competent quarterback play from former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson. They got that for most of the first half before Wilson fell apart late in the game.

Wilson started in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers and was, quite frankly, the least of the team's concerns in the first half. Unfortunately, a brutal finish to the game resulted in a putrid final stat line.

Wilson finished the game by completing 12-of-27 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions. Two of those three interceptions came in relative garbage time, but those reps still matter. Wilson made his mistakes.

The Jets struggled to move the ball on offense while their defense underwhelmed. It was a tough day all around for Gang Green.

The final score of 30-10 may not be completely indicative of the performances of both teams, but the Jets were clearly second-best today. The Cowboys are one of the best teams in football, and they proved that in every possible way.

The NY Jets were outplayed despite a competent day from Zach Wilson

The Jets were outplayed on Sunday. They finished with just 215 yards of total offense, ran almost half the number of plays the Cowboys did, and lost the possession battle by over 20 minutes.

The Jets' offensive line may have only allowed one sack, but Micah Parsons and company wreaked havoc throughout the game. Parsons forced a fumble on Dalvin Cook — a play that essentially served as the nail in the proverbial coffin.

It's hard not to feel as though this would have been a different game had Aaron Rodgers been under center. Wilson kept the Jets in the game early on, but there's no underselling the impact of losing a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback.

The Jets have to place close to perfect to win with Wilson at quarterback — they didn't do that on Sunday. They weren't even close.

The Jets fall to 1-1 with a home matchup against the New England Patriots up next. The Cowboys are a great team. The Jets, at least with Zach Wilson at the helm, aren't on their level.

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.