Willie Gay Jr. Shared an Uncomfortable Truth About Zach Wilson and the New York Jets

Gay tried his best not to shade New York's offense and quarterback, but his assessment is accurate.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heavy road favorites against the New York Jets ahead of Sunday Night Football, and a lot of it has to do with the struggles of the Week 4 host team's offense this season.

Through three games, New York has held possession of the ball at a league-worst 24:34 average per game. Additionally, Robert Saleh's team gains the NFL's lowest amount of yards (225) and scores the fewest points (14) on a weekly basis. That, combined with a dead-last ranking in third down conversion rate (21.6%), puts the Jets in the conversation for having quite literally the worst offense in football.

On Wednesday afternoon, Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was asked what he sees when he watches the Jets' offense. Citing New York as a club that is in "panic mode" without regular starter Aaron Rodgers in the fold, Gay hinted at the team having less confidence in backup Zach Wilson and more confidence in its running game to get the job done. Reading between the lines, it's easy to see the level of regard Gay holds Wilson in.

Question: "When you look on tape what are you seeing from Zach Wilson and the (Jets) offense?"#Chiefs Willie Gay: "A team that wants to run the ball..." pic.twitter.com/FDvyZVBzOL

— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) September 27, 2023

"Damn, that was a hard question, I can't lie. A team that wants to run the ball. That wasn't [meant] to be funny or anything, but A-Rod got hurt and it turned into a team where [it's] like panic mode, almost. That's what I see, at least. They've got great running backs, so now they're just trying to pound it. Pound and ground ... I feel like the running backs have been rolling. Like I said, three great ones, so I feel like that's their game plan."

While Gay's assessment that New York leans heavily on the run game may not be the most accurate — the Jets' 41.25 rushing play percentage ranks 17th in the NFL — his general premise is. Among all 35 quarterbacks who have thrown double-digit passes this season, Wilson's 84 attempts see him rank 28th in the league despite him playing from behind in games. The duo of Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook has experienced a near-even split in workload (26 and 25 carries, respectively) this season, and third-year man Michael Carter also factors into the backfield picture. Gay made it a point to compliment the Jets' assortment of halfbacks, yet he didn't acknowledge anything good about Wilson's play.

With New York's locker room reportedly "ready to implode" if the quarterback situation doesn't improve soon, it's becoming more and more apparent that Wilson is operating on borrowed time. The Jets entered the 2023 campaign with Super Bowl aspirations after landing Rodgers, a four-time MVP, but him suffering an Achilles injury forced the former No. 2 overall pick into action. It's been the same old story of struggles and growing pains ever since, with the first three weeks of the season seeing little to no signs of hope.

Gay made an active choice when he shifted the discussion away from Wilson, which was a fitting way to describe the state of New York's offense. With a 1-3 record staring the Jets in the face if they can't pull off the upset on Sunday night, panic mode is knocking on the door if it hasn't already been invited inside. 

Read More: Chiefs Injury Update — Chris Jones Limited to Start Week 4